A 3x3 grid showing various flowers seen along the Woods Canyon Trail today--plus a map of the trail and two trail runners.
Group trail run on the Woods Canyon Trail south of VOC and Sedona. Wildflowers were amazing. Plus the rain last night made it just a little bit better!
#trailrunning #wildflowers #landscape 📷
Really nice capture of a Glory with Brocken Spectre!
art002e009301 (April 6, 2026) – Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. From the crew’s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth. The corona forms a glowing halo around the dark lunar disk, revealing details of the Sun’s outer atmosphere typically hidden by its brightness. Also visible are stars, typically too faint to see when imaging the Moon, but with the Moon in darkness stars are readily imaged. This unique vantage point provides both a striking visual and a valuable opportunity for astronauts to document and describe the corona during humanity’s return to deep space. The faint glow of the nearside of the Moon is visible in this image, having been illuminated by light reflected off the Earth. Image Credit: NASA
art002e009288 (April 6, 2026) – Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Central peaks form in complex craters when the lunar surface, liquefied on impact, splashes upwards during the crater’s formation. Image Credit: NASA
Two amazing photographs from the Artemis II mission. Detailed descriptions from NASA are in the Alt Text.
www.nasa.gov/gallery/luna...
#nasa #astrophotography
A herd of elk is wading through the shallow waters of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona. The western sky still shows warm sunset colors while the foreground is in deep shadow.
Watched a large herd of elk wading across the shallow waters of Upper Lake Mary on Sunday evening. Very happy that they kept their distance.
Nikon D850, 120mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO 6400.
#landscape 📷 #wildlife
For the Dec-Mar period, the southwestern ridge reigns supreme. An area over +5 standard deviations from the 1991-2020 normal. The eastern Siberia anomaly was *only* +4.5 standard deviations.
Let's check in on the Nov-Mar "cool/cold" season. It was warm. Very, very warm. A staggering 47% of the Contiguous U.S. had their warmest Nov-Mar since 1940-41. This Nov-Mar broke the record from 2011-12 by just over 1F. 🔥🔥🔥
The Contiguous U.S. had its 3rd driest March since at least 1940. 🌵
Early morning light in the canyon. Canyon walls and forest trees are reflected in the pools of water.
Arizona Valerian (Valeriana arizonica).
A runner ascends the trail in a shady canyon.
A yellow wildflower belonging to the mustard family--possibly draba albertina.
Did a group trail run in Kelly Canyon today. Early morning temps were in the upper 30s at the start...and much warmer at the finish.
Wildflowers are starting to appear but it's still early in the season.
#trailrunning #landscape 📷 #wildflowers
What a beautiful photograph of Earth illuminated by the full Moon.
#astrophotography #nasa
Outstanding!
Multi-radar estimate of rainfall across Arizona.
Rain gauge measurements of rainfall across northern Arizona.
A late-season atmospheric river arrived on Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday bringing much appreciated and needed rain to most of Arizona.
#azwx #weather
March was warm/dry in Flagstaff (and just about everywhere else, too).
Mean monthly temp was 48.5°F -- beating the old record by 3.6°F.
Mean monthly max temp was 66.9°F -- beating the old record by 4.8°F.
And the 3rd driest (0.04") -- which fell last night 03/31/26.
#azwx #weather
IVT (integrated vertical transport) of moisture across the SW US tonight.
Water vapor satellite channel showing stream of moisture moving into the SW US.
Graphic showing total precipitation amounts through 48h from the HRRR model. Perhaps a little optimistic.
A chance of rain/snow over the southwest today and tonight as a low-end atmospheric river moves across the SW. Mid- and high-level clouds have already arrived.
#azwx #wxsky
Table showing record high temperatures for March (4th column) through 2025. Also included are new record temps (or tied records) for the period 17–28 March. Eleven of these ties/records exceeded the previous record for the month of March. And all of these records are greater than the current record for the month of April.
The record MaxTemp streak at Flagstaff has ended after 12 consecutive days of new/tied records--including a new record for the month of March (84°F). Previously, the earliest 84°F temp recorded in Flagstaff was May 2 (1947).
#azwx #wxsky
a 3x3 matrix of wildflowers--some with butterflies and bees--seen on the Bell Trail near Wet Beaver Creek, Arizona.
Wildflowers seen along the Bell Trail near Wet Beaver Creek, Arizona.
Shot with Sony RX10-IV and mostly at 600mm (equivalent) focal length. All images cropped from the original 3:2 aspect ratio to 1:1.
#wildflowers #landscape 📷
Radar image from KEMX.
A mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) in Sonora, Mexico, today is producing convection that is now spreading into southern Arizona. Anybody chasing down there?
#azwx #wxsky
A runner passes between several large boulders on the Upper Oldham Trail near Flagstaff.
A cluster of yellow Oregon grape flowers.
The only snow we saw (about 8900' elevation). Otherwise, the trail was dry.
Map showing Upper Oldham Trail in the Mt Elden-Dry Lakes (MEDL) area north of Flagstaff. About 7.2 miles and 1750' elevation gain. Saw nobody on our way up -- and only a few folks near the bottom on the return.
Did a run on Upper Oldham in the Mt Elden-Dry Lake Hills (MEDL) north of Flagstaff. Normally, there would be too much snow this early in the season -- but only saw one small patch near the top. There were lots of flowering Oregon grapes -- otherwise no wildflowers.
#trailrunning #landscape 📷
Breaking a monthly record is typically a 1 or 2-day thing.
Flagstaff, AZ reached or topped their previous March record of 73˚ the past *8 days in a row* since St. Patrick's Day.
Las Vegas did that 7 days in a row.
Today, Cheyenne & Denver could set new March records they already set last week.
Trail map showing the loop using Sunset--Broadside--Sunset done CCW.
Panoramic view of Schultz Tank in the Dry Lake Hills north of Flagstaff. Much more water than last summer -- but still pretty low for spring.
A pair of Mallard ducks standing on a log in Schultz Tank.
A small patch of white flowers -- probably candytuft.
A runner descends Sunset Trail through a forest of pine, fir, and spruce.
Record heat means the trails are snow free and dry in the Dry Lake Hills north of Flagstaff. Did a run on Sunset--Broadside--Sunset (about 5.6 miles). Not too many wildflowers yet other than this candytuft and a few dandelions. Numerous ducks swimming in Schultz Tank.
#trailrunning #landscape 📷
GFS model showing temperature anomalies for April 1. Warm colors are above normal; cool colors are below normal. Almost all of Arizona shows below normal. New Mexico is split with cool west are warm east.
Another day -- another record high temp at Flagstaff. That's eight in a row -- with at least a few more this week likely.
Relief may be in sight. The 7-day fcst for April 1 shows below normal temps. Or is this the GFS version of an April Fool's Day joke?
#azwx #wxsky
14 new state March heat records have potentially been breached in this #heatwave! That’s stunning. Even 1 or 2 is rare. 14 - I’ve never seen that before.
These records were compiled by Climatologist M. Herrera and will still need to be validated by NOAA to be considered official.
This is an extraordinary heat wave. One nice thing is the overnight temps are still near or below freezing in Flagstaff (29°, 27°, 27°, 30°, and 33°F for the past five days).
Thanks @climatologist49.bsky.social
Venus and the Moon in the evening twilight sky. Both objects are reflected in the smooth waters of Lake Mary (Flagstaff, Arizona).
Moon and Venus in the evening twilight sky with reflections in the still waters of Lake Mary. Flagstaff, Arizona.
#astrophotography #landscape 📷
Munds Wagon Trail and Hangover Trail loop in Sedona. About 8 miles.
Trail map from today's run.
Capital Butte ("Thunder Mountain") is lit by the rising sun -- but the foreground is still in deep shadows from the high terrain to the east. A few hot air balloons are visible.
A trail runner on the Munds Wagon Trail. The deep shadows kept temperatures cool while we did the uphill section.
Reflection of the red rocks in a small pool of water. Water is still trickling down Bear Wallow canyon in some spots -- and in others only residual pools are left.
A runner on the saddle of Hangover Trail with a large red rock tower in the distance.
Group run today was the Munds Wagon & Hangover loop in Sedona -- scheduled months ago. So the only way to beat the record-breaking heat was to start early. About 8 miles.
#trailrunning #landscape 📷
Evening twilight with Venus and a crescent Moon in the sky -- with reflections in the water.
Wide angle shot of the twilight sky with Venus (Moon has set behind the trees) with twilight reflection in the water.
Moon and Venus in evening twilight last night. The reflection of Venus is easy to see while the Moon reflection is more subtle.
Upper Lake Mary, Flagstaff, AZ.
#astrophotography #landscape 📷
Prior to this ongoing extreme event the record for March was 73°F. This new record is 11°F warmer.
