A Taste Of The Summer Monsoon (7-‎13-2026)

A taste of the summer monsoon while commuting to work with my mom. Gotta love the summer monsoon season indeed! It makes the weather a bit more interesting aside from the repetitive low morning clouds followed by afternoon sunshine. A strengthening El Nino may also make things interesting and stormy this coming winter season for the state... We shall see what unfolds! (Footage taken Monday, ‎July ‎13, ‎2026 around Fremont, CA.) *The southwest summer monsoon (known in North America as the North American Monsoon) is a seasonal shift in wind patterns that brings critical summer rainfall to northwestern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest, including Arizona and New Mexico. It runs from late June thru September, peaking in July and August. Intense summer solar heating warms the desert land, creating a surface low-pressure system (thermal low) that draws moisture-laden air northward from the Gulf of California, the eastern Pacific, and the Gulf of Mexico. Occasionally, the monsoon rains can reach California, including here in the Bay Area, ushering in thunderstorm activity or dry lightning risks (like that crazy historic August 2020 lightning event).