In the desert, monsoons are powerful, mostly short-lived rainstorms racing across the landscape and pounding campsites with high winds and buckets of rain.
“Are we going to beat the storm?” said my companion. “Those clouds look really ominous.”
That was a good question, as, loaded with gear, we headed up to Arizona’s Mogollon Rim for a three-day camping adventure. This trip was to get out of the Phoenix heat.
“I sure don’t like the look of those clouds,” I replied. “I think the Apple weather forecast was wrong again. That or we’re driving into the ten percent.”
Why Weather Apps Are Unreliable in Backcountry
Apple’s Weather app said that we were in store for three days of sunshine, cooler temperatures, hiking and dipping feet in the cool water at Knoll Lake. The chance of precipitation, it wrongly predicted, was under 10 percent. As long as there is a cell signal, you can use it. If not, check on how to analog forecast in the checklist at the end of the article.
Camping in a storm is not the type of adventure one purposely plans, but all campers need to plan for a storm before leaving the house. There’s a variety of camping gear for stormy weather, most of which are already part of the camping gear.
Earlier in the trip, the sky was filling with puffy cumulus clouds. Our conversation changed from, “Oh, look! That one looks like a clown face,” to “Uh, oh. There’s rain building up in those clouds.”
The cute cumulus showed their gray, rain-filled underbellies as the tops rose steeply into the azure sky. This meant a summer monsoon was brewing, and we were heading to it. The leisurely drive to our lakeside campsite suddenly became a race against the wind and rain.
I thought I saw a small cloud over my companion’s head.
What’s Needed to Prepare for Storms
Preparing to camp in a storm starts before leaving home. Essentials for the campsite include a camp shovel—also needed to properly smother campfires—a tent footprint, guy ropes and ground stakes, a rain fly, and a rubber mat for wet shoes. Essentials for campers include a rain poncho or waterproof ventilated jacket, a waterproof hat and extra socks.
Readying for any storm takes place when picking the campsite and where to raise the tent.
How Setting Up the Campsite Makes a Difference
Select the highest portion of the campsite, a flat spot allowing water to run off and not pool under the tent or in front of the doors. Avoid even the shallowest depression, which will turn into a puddle if it rains. I was forced into a situation like that, and while the tent remained dry, it was like walking on a waterbed.
We found the Forest Service had improved the Knoll Lake campground ($20/night; no reservations. 34° 25.6858′ N, 111° 5.6477′ W) by providing raised beds for tents filled with well-drained material. After erecting the tent and securing the rainfly, it was time to pound in the stakes. Depending on the size of the tent, there will be at least four or more loops or grommets around the perimeter for holding the ground stakes. Put a stake into each one around the perimeter of the tent.
“Do you need all of them?” my companion asked. My REI Wonderland 6 requires ten ground stakes. “It seems like overkill. Wouldn’t the corners be enough?”
“Yes, it’s a lot of work, but we’ve got a monsoon brewing, and we don’t want the tent to blow loose.”
Staking the sides of the tent prevents the wind from blowing under the floor. In addition to protecting the tent from the potential for wind damage, it keeps the floor on the ground.
Next came the tedious task of staking the guy ropes. The Wonderland 6 requires at least eight and can accommodate 12. To simplify the task, I attach carabiners to the bitter end and clip them inside the guy loop at the other end. The “bitter end” refers to the single length of the rope usually attached to the tent. The guy loop goes over the stake, and the rope is tightened using a tensioner or a strong adjustable knot, like a double half-hitch.
While we set up camp, the sky continued its blackening brew. There was no sound in the forest and nary a breeze. The puffy cumulus clouds were disappearing, and the newly formed thunderheads seemed to reach for the sun before blacking it out.
When to Ready for the Storm
We were as ready as we could be.
While preparing dinner, all the gear was kept ready to shove back into the car if the rain arrived while eating. As we finished, the breeze started to pick up. We could hear the low boom of distant thunder. In the heavily wooded area, we couldn’t yet see any lightning.
You can judge the distance from campsites to the heart of a storm by calculating five miles for each second between seeing lightning and hearing thunder. When we saw the lightning, the flash and boom came together. The wind was howling, and the rain was pouring down.
We went into the tent.
All the preparation paid off. The tent rippled but held steady despite winds gusting to around 30 miles per hour (48 km/h).
How to Ride Out the Storm in a Tent
The thick storm clouds beat the sun into submission, and night came early. The rain and wind were incessant. Monsoons usually last 30 minutes to an hour, but this storm was relentless. It’s a good thing I grabbed a deck of cards and a book before we clambered into our fabric shelter.
The main reason for gettin’ outta Dodge to go camping was to escape the local heat in the cooler mountains, recharge the spiritual batteries and test a new-to-the-market lantern from Duracell.
Why We Loved the Duracell 2000 Lantern
When camping, nights are black. At Knoll Lake, there are no lights in the campground other than what campers bring. In our isolated corner against the woods, it was black—time to test the Duracell 2000 tri-power lantern provided by the company for review.
How Duracell Lit the Tent
It was almost too bright at its whole 2,000-lumen setting inside the tent. We dimmed to the medium 1,000-lumen setting. The low setting is 400 lumens. There’s also a flashing red light option, although the red lights are too dim to use as an emergency light.
We were able to play cards and later read with the medium setting. The built-in rechargeable battery can last more than eight hours at that power. High power is beaming for three to four hours.
Lantern Performance Out in the Storm
The real test came hours later. With the wind still blowing, the tent’s rippling was replaced with a more menacing flapping sound; something came loose. That meant crawling out of the sleeping bag, pulling on a rain jacket and heading out into the wind, rain and blackness.
I grabbed the lantern and lit it on high. The Duracell 2000 penetrated the darkness with a very bright circle of light. I liked that it’s aimed groundward, so the light is concentrated where needed. The lantern’s heft meant I could set it down without worry of the wind blowing over.
Despite my best efforts, the guy rope on the corner of the tent had come loose from the stake. With the light, it was an easy fix to reattach it. I grabbed a large rock and placed it over the stake this time. Adjusting the tension, I slogged back into the tent.
With the light still on and some grumbling from my companion, I dimmed enough to slip off the wet gear and climb back into bed.
The lantern operates when connected to an external USB or DC power supply, the internal rechargeable battery, or four D-cell batteries. We used the internal battery and recharged it with the built-in solar panel the next day. By the next night, the lantern was fully charged.
The next day, no storm intruded, so we set up the light over the picnic table and enjoyed a leisurely meal and after-dinner games before settling in front of the campfire until bedtime. The Duracell 2000 provided a clean, bright light without too much contrast between light and shadow—a challenge I’ve found with other LED lanterns.
Camping in a Storm Checklist
How to Predict the Weather Without a Cell Signal
Knowing and tracking the weather is very important when hiking or camping. Here are some quick pointers on being the campsite weather forecaster. Knowing this can make you more accurate than relying on a weather app.
Cloud types and Barometer Readings
- Cirrus clouds, the high wispy clouds: A weather change in the next 24 to 48 hours.
- Horsetails, curled cirrus clouds resembling a horse’s tail: The thick portion points to the direction from where the storm is coming. If hiking uphill in a narrow valley or slot canyon, these clouds can mean an upstream storm, and hikers should leave the valley or canyon for higher ground as quickly as safely possible.
- Cumulus clouds, the puffy, high-rising clouds that often resemble shapes with flat bottoms: A storm is brewing and wind may be coming within 24 hours.
- Cumulonimbus clouds, towering, puffy and white with increasing deep gray, blue or black colors on the lower levels: A storm is imminent.
If smoke from the campfire is generally rising, fair weather is on the horizon. If the smoke stays close to the ground, a high-pressure center moves in, bringing inclement weather in the next day or two.
Wind direction and speed
In most areas of the U.S., winds from the east tend to predict low-pressure fronts that bring storms. Westerly winds usually carry high pressure, meaning fair weather.
A sudden shift in wind direction at any time, especially if the wind is from the north, can rapidly worsen the weather.
Wind speed can be estimated by looking at bushes and trees.
- Rustling leaves: up to 7 mph (11km/h)
- Leaves and smaller branches are moving 8–12 mph (13–19 km/h)
- Small branches swaying, more dust blowing, loose papers blow away: 13–18 mph (21–29 km/h)
- Large branches are moving, small and mid-sized trees are swaying, and walking feels a little challenging: 25–31mph (35–50 km/h)
- If the wind is higher than that, the best move is to empty and flatten the tent, re-tension the stakes and take shelter in the vehicle.
Red Skies
The old adage—red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning—is generally true. A nighttime red sky indicates any storm potential has moved away, while a morning red sky suggests a storm is moving in.
Campsite Essentials
- Shovel (folding kind is the best)
- Tent footprint or tarp to go under the tent
- Ground stakes and guy ropes
- Rainfly
- Rubber mat (welcome mat), optional
Camper Essentials
- Rain poncho or waterproof jacket
- Waterproof hat
- Extra socks
- Waterproof shoes or boots
- Dry bags
Selecting a Campsite if Storms Possible
- Choose the elevated portions of the campsite for the tent
- Avoid even shallow depressed areas or swales through the campsite
- Distance campsite from hazardous areas attractive to lightning: isolated trees, cliff edges and areas with loose rocks on a slope
- Look for natural windbreaks like thick vegetation, a dense tree stand, large boulders
Storm-proofing the campsite
- Dig a shallow swale on the high side of the tent, creating a small berm between the swale and the footprint or side of the tent.
- Dig shallow swales down each side of the tent to divert water away from the sides.
Securing the tent
- Spread a ground cloth, footprint or tarp under the tent floor
- Deeply pound ground stakes into all required places around the tent
- Remember to attach and tighten the rainfly securely
- Attach and tighten guy ropes to all connection points on the tent. Pound stakes deep into the ground. If wind is likely, place large rocks on top of each stake
Securing the campsite
- Bring dry bags and large sealable kitchen bags like a Ziplock bag, and have ready-to-store gear and food.
- Have a car park so it’s easy to shift loose gear and food from campsite to vehicle.
- Ensure adequate passenger seats are accessible if more durable shelter or evacuation is needed.
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