Yesterday, the temperature climbed to 90 degrees! We ran the air conditioner in the late afternoon for an hour or so. I don’t remember when we last had to resort to that. I went to the pool and sat in the Jacuzzi for awhile to soothe my shoulder. While I was there, I saw and smelled something I have not witnessed in a long time.

It was virga. Virga is observable precipitation that evaporates before hitting the ground. Overhead, I saw a dark cloud and rays of raindrops. I could smell the rain. But nothing was getting wet. The temperature cooled for a few minutes, then the cloud moved on and it quickly warmed up again.

After I returned from the pool, as I was getting into the shower, my phone sounded an alarm that I haven’t heard before. It was a weather alert from the National Weather Service (NWS). The alert was for wind and dust storms.

These dust storms are also known by the name haboob. Haboobs are found in arid regions throughout the world. They are usually triggered by the wind created by thunder storm cells. It’s unusual to have weather alerts and haboobs this early in the year in central Arizona.

Here’s a Wikipedia file photo of a haboob near Ahwatukee, outside of Phoenix, Arizona.

After my shower, I stepped outside and took a look around. I could see the dust storm well to the south and west of our location. I didn’t think we had anything to worry about. It turned out I was right. The wind picked up a bit, but nothing drastic and no haboob here.

I didn’t do much yesterday. I’m still having trouble with my neck and left shoulder. I’ll give the NSAID medication one more day, then I might need to think about a visit to the doctor.

Today, the temperature should only reach the upper 70s. The wind is expected to pick up later in the afternoon. I have the main awning in and may have to pull in the window awnings later to avoid wind damage.

I worked on some of our travel plans yesterday. We have a lot of stops for the summer already booked in RV parks. I’m still trying to find something in the Arlington, Washington area. I looked at an RV park near Stanwood that may be our best choice. If anyone has a suggestion, please let us know.

We have lots of open dates still and plan to fill in several nights on the fly. I really enjoyed doing that last summer. We were spontaneous and found cool places, like county fairgrounds or rodeo grounds. The rodeo grounds were fun. We’re still undecided about our route when we leave here. It all depends on the weather. We’re considering running up to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon, but right now the overnight low temperature there is in the 30s. If it doesn’t warm up in the next two weeks, we probably won’t go that way.