Mike Kruze
@mikeroburst
Avid landscape photographer, hiker, storm chaser. Purdue Boilermaker. Detroit sports fan.
The graceful arc of a desert microburst. From yesterday evening 8/9 over the Verde Valley #azwx
Yesterday evening started out with a sunset that looked like it could belong on Mars, then a cluster of strong thunderstorms moved over the remote desert mountains west of Phoenix. #azwx
Lightning in the cactus forest, last night 8/7 at Four Peaks. Got really lucky that this tall saguaro just happened to line up with the storm! #azwx
Caught this bolt from a thunderstorm that formed near I-17 north of Cordes Junction last night. It's nice to see how green it is up there after all the rain in July, especially with how dry the last few years have been. #azwx
Last night's dust storm as it crossed the Picacho Mountains near Eloy. This thing really had teeth- visibility was down to just a few feet even an hour later. #azwx
In a little less than a week I'll be heading back to Arizona for a monsoon photography trip. I've been jealous of all the amazing photos that have been posted from this season so far and can't wait to join in! Here's a single 20 second exposure from last year's trip. #azwx
I caught this angry +CG bolt about 15 minutes before the 6/17 Charleston, IL tornado. Noticed a neat thing when I zoomed in- the branch on the right was covered in "hair" with all of these tiny branches reaching out into the surrounding air. #ilwx
Going for a morning swim... From a recent trip to far northern California, just outside Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Despite being quieter than last year, our 2026 chasecation still had plenty of highlights. Which way would you drive on this road? From 6/10/26 near Woodbine, KS #kswx
The northern lights visited California again! These photos are from last Friday night 7/3, near Lassen Volcanic National Park. They were even bright enough to overpower the twilight.
Our view of the 6/17 Effingham, IL tornado from a few miles north of Dieterich. We were able to watch it approach from the west for several minutes before it passed just north of us along 2300th St. #ilwx
Last Wednesday in Illinois was many chases rolled into one day. The day started off early with this teal-colored shelf cloud over Lake Springfield. #ilwx
Instead of heading all the way up to the Dakotas on Tuesday we decided to go shelf chasing along I-80 in Nebraska. The highlight of the day was the view from this bridge over the Platte River near Kearney around 7:25 PM. #newx
Photos from a foggy evening in Utah's canyon country back in early January. #utwx
Most people went to Yosemite last week to see the firefall, but I went to see the opposite.
While the eastern half of the country freezes, here's a spectacular late January sunset along the California coast just north of Santa Cruz. From Sunday night 1/25. #cawx
Just a simple photo of the crescent moon with a 600 mm lens. A thin layer of cirrus clouds added some nice texture to the rest of the frame. And the "dark" part of the moon is lit by sunlight reflected back to the moon from the earth.
Scenes from the San Juan Valley in southern Utah- December 2025. Such neat geology in that part of the world.
The long December nights have turned California's Central Valley into a sea of fog. But from the hills above the fog, the views are incredible. #cawx
Last night's aurora over the Bay Bridge and skyline of San Francisco. Amazing to see them this far south and through all of the city lights! #cawx
Some late season fall color on a rainy day in the northern Sierra Nevada.
Golden hour at Half Dome- from a late September sunset in the Yosemite high country. I love the lone tree clinging to the cliff to give a sense of scale.
Lightning over the fog-shrouded hills of the California central coast on September 23. It's always a treat when thunderstorms make a rare visit to the west coast, especially when they bring rain with them. #cawx
The fall color in the eastern Sierra Nevada is great right now! Winter is coming though- a storm is forecast to move in on Monday and bring several feet of snow. #cawx
The wild open spaces of the eastern Sierra Nevada are a truly underrated place to see fall color. A few photos from a stormy day in late September.
Yosemite put on a show last weekend with this amazing sunset on Saturday night! #cawx
Just your typical Sunday afternoon in Arizona- a 3000-foot-high wall of dust crossing a mountain range. From 8/31 over the Dragoon Mountains east of Tucson #azwx
Electricity on the ground, electricity in the sky. A storm back on August 21 put out a constant barrage of photogenic, branching lightning over the west valley of Phoenix #azwx