Sangre de Cristo rain

Watercolor

August is almost here and in the high country of northern New Mexico, that means a "monsoon" season of sorts, when the thunderheads build up in the afternoons and the clouds drench the mountains with cold rain.

In Santa Fe, you can watch the daily drama, and some rain reaches the high desert. Much of the time however, the rain partially obscures the mountains with a veil of falling water. Even in late July and early August, the rain can dump sleet and hail at higher elevations and the temperature drops to freezing, even though it is 80 degrees or so in Santa Fe.