Monsoon weather

[DoctorBreaks]

Hey everyone, this is my first summer in Colorado and I'm trying to understand the monsoon season. I watched a few of CFI's monsoon videos and one question I have in particular is, is it safe to wait out the afternoon storms and then resume hiking? Are storms/weather patterns just as unpredictable from noon forward?
Thank you!

[Jim Davies]

Yes, it often clears up after the thunderstorms. Even hiking in a thunderstorm isn't necessarily dangerous, although wet rocks can be slippery, so take your time. The storms aren't completely unpredictable, either - even in July there are days with no chance of rain (although they never seem to fall on weekends).

[JQDivide]

By "wait out" do you mean start after the storms or hunker down somewhere in the trees while the storm passes?

Starting after can be fun if you like hiking in the late evening or night. And more than likely you'll have the summitt to yourself. But again, you'll need to watch the weather forecast. And if you are new to this, you'll really need to study the trail and bring a map and light.

As far as waiting for a storm to pass... You could. But I wouldn't recommend that. Could be hours. Go early, get off before the storms hit.

JQ

[Steve Climber]

I'm by no means educated on this, and am FAR from knowledgable, but in my personal experience(s)...the afternoon monsoon weather that rolls though is often very isolated and does exactly that...rolls through. Mostly, I've seen an hour or two of INTENSE activity, then it passes. I've hunkered down and waited out several storms then resumed hiking. It should be noted that I was hiking between camp spots on a multi-peak trip or on my way back to a camp and not continuing on to a summit.

[vandy]

If the sky clears up after storms go through, then go ahead if you are close to your objective. But generally, as soon as they initiate, the atmosphere over the mountains will remain unstable until sunset. You're better off being below treeline after the first storms build in my opinion.

The monsoon is really just an abundance of moisture in the air... the fuel if you will. Daytime heating and the topography forces air upward which eventually initiates storms. The reason storms don't typically form before noon is that it takes a while for the sun to heat up the cold air left over from the night before. Once they do form, the storms temporarily block sunlight, so that can cause things to calm down for an hour or two afterward. But as soon as sunlight is heating the slopes again, you run the risk of more storm development.

[DoctorBreaks]

Yes, it often clears up after the thunderstorms. Even hiking in a thunderstorm isn't necessarily dangerous, although wet rocks can be slippery, so take your time. The storms aren't completely unpredictable, either - even in July there are days with no chance of rain (although they never seem to fall on weekends).

Ah I see, I was kinda under the impression that monsoon season meant that you even on a clear forecast day you would most likely have random storms appear. It is true that not all showers are thunderstorms, but kinda rather not take that chance lol.

By "wait out" do you mean start after the storms or hunker down somewhere in the trees while the storm passes?

Starting after can be fun if you like hiking in the late evening or night. And more than likely you'll have the summitt to yourself. But again, you'll need to watch the weather forecast. And if you are new to this, you'll really need to study the trail and bring a map and light.

As far as waiting for a storm to pass... You could. But I wouldn't recommend that. Could be hours. Go early, get off before the storms hit.

JQ

By waiting it out I guess I meant both, more for the hiding until the storms died down. Right now I don't think I would be able to hike in the dark alone. I usually start my hikes at 5am. Never like taking any chances with the weather lol.

[DoctorBreaks]

If the sky clears up after storms go through, then go ahead if you are close to your objective. But generally, as soon as they initiate, the atmosphere over the mountains will remain unstable until sunset. You're better off being below treeline after the first storms build in my opinion.

The monsoon is really just an abundance of moisture in the air... the fuel if you will. Daytime heating and the topography forces air upward which eventually initiates storms. The reason storms don't typically form before noon is that it takes a while for the sun to heat up the cold air left over from the night before. Once they do form, the storms temporarily block sunlight, so that can cause things to calm down for an hour or two afterward. But as soon as sunlight is heating the slopes again, you run the risk of more storm development.

Very good to know! Yeah I am most scared of lightning to be honest lol. Can't control that so gotta just do my best to avoid putting myself in bad situations. I'm never afraid to turn around. Always another day