The air, which is always hot, has grown heavy and hazy over the past few days. Humidities in the desert are reaching more than 25%, and in the afternoon the horizons are clotted with nascent thunderclouds. Downdrafts stir up sand and dust, and the wind chokes and stings. The conditions are right for monsoon rains, but so far I haven’t seen a drop. 

This photo was taken just after sunrise in the South Mountain Preserve in Phoenix, Arizona. 

The air, which is always hot, has grown heavy and hazy over the past few days. Humidities in the desert are reaching more than 25%, and in the afternoon the horizons are clotted with nascent thunderclouds. Downdrafts stir up sand and dust, and the wind chokes and stings. The conditions are right for monsoon rains, but so far I haven’t seen a drop. 

This photo was taken just after sunrise in the South Mountain Preserve in Phoenix, Arizona.