How to track monsoon thunderstorms?

We have some thunderstorm action near Phoenix, Arizona, this morning! Thunderstorms and their rainfall can be tracked by Doppler radar, which can detect many features of a storm, including rainfall intensity and how high in altitude the storm reaches in the atmosphere (called "echo tops").

For this morning (June 18, 2022) thunderstorms had passed through the community of Florence (southeast of Phoenix) around 10 AM. Using the GRAnalyst Doppler radar visualization program, the top graphic panel shows the 3D structure of multiple thunderstorm cells reaching up to 30,000 feet in altitude and producing heavier rain (red and yellow areas) in the Florence vicinity. The bottom two graphic panels show the same radar information, but in a 2D display format.

The tools of meteorology can be pretty cool! The rest of today likely sees additional storm formation in the region with the possibility of brief heavy rain, lightning, gusty winds, blowing dust, so stay tuned to local forecasts and updates, such as from the National Weather Service!

GR2Analysts used for radar visualization.