Another repeat of a late bloom again; upper air ridge, summer rain pattern, to stay secure for remainder of month

Worn out from yesterday, which resembled the day before with the late “bloom” of fabulously photogenic Cumulonimbus clouds, much lightning, and an equally fabulous sunset. Took too many photos (200 plus I think) kind of out of control, due to excessive excitement again; hard drive filling up.  Locating brain now in this cup of coffee.

First, before the cloud photo diary for yesterday, this wonderful, uplifting look at the weather way ahead from NOAA’s spaghetti forecasting machine last night, calculated from global data taken around the world, to be redundant, at 5 PM AST last evening, valid for 5 PM AST Friday, August 30th: ann_spag_f336_nhbg-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn’t this great?!  One of the best maps I’ve seen this summer.  Looks like the summer rain season1 hereabouts will be in pretty good force through the end of August now after abosrbing  this NOAA check of chaos theory.  Maybe  Sutherland Heights will catch up to our average rainfall for July and August by the end of the month, 6-7 inches.  Now sitting on only 3.2 inches since July 1st.

Yesterday’s clouds and storms

Here’s how it all started:

10:38 AM. Cumulus specks began to appear over Lemmon an hour or two earlier than the previous day, always a good trend.
10:38 AM. Cumulus specks began to appear over Ms. Lemmon an hour or two earlier than the previous day, always a good trend.
11:21 AM. Early sign of an aroused atmosphere, one ready to produce deep clouds. Thin, spindly clouds shooting upward rapidly, possibly in the formation of an obscene jesture.
11:21 AM. Early sign of an aroused atmosphere, one ready to produce deep clouds. Thin, spindly clouds shooting upward rapidly, sometimes, as here,  in the formation of an obscene gesture.
12:57 PM. And before 1 PM, this early Cb (calvus) off the mountains! I was really preparing for giant storms ALL day in the area. But, that's NOT what happened. They faded soon after this. Ms. Lemmon, nevermind the raging heat, became devoid of clouds. It was nothing less than astonishing that it could be cloud free in the middle of the afternoon with such an "auspicious" if rude, early start on Cumulus clouds.
12:57 PM. And before 1 PM, this early Cb (calvus) off the mountains to the NW! I was really preparing for giant storms ALL day in the area. But, that’s NOT what happened. They faded soon after this. Ms. Lemmon, never mind the raging heat, became devoid of clouds. It was nothing less than astonishing that it could be cloud free in the middle of the afternoon with such an “auspicious”,  if rude, early start of Cumulus clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3:08 PM. Its 106 F in Sutherland Heights. This view of piddly-pooh Cumlus clouds over the Catalinas didn't seem possible, in a sense, an amazing sight. All the day's early promise was somehow gone, drier air was moving in, and that thought made the heat even more intolerable, though I don't mind it myself, adding a personal note here.
3:08 PM. Its 106 F in Sutherland Heights. This view of piddly-pooh Cumlus clouds over the Catalinas didn’t seem possible, in a sense, an amazing sight. All the day’s early promise was somehow gone, drier air was moving in, and that thought made the heat even more intolerable, though I don’t mind it myself, adding a personal note here.
3:25 PM. Its a 107 F; cloud drought over the Catalinas continues. May seem silly, but this was just an incredible sight I thought.
3:25 PM. Its a 107 F; cloud drought over the Catalinas continues. May seem silly, but this was just an incredible sight I thought.
5:51 PM. Within half an hour, the Cumulus began to perk up. Could the same thing happen, that sudden explosion of Cumulus into Cumulonimbus like yesterday occur AGAIN? Yes.
5:51 PM. Within half an hour, the Cumulus began to perk up. Could the same thing happen, that sudden explosion of Cumulus into Cumulonimbus like yesterday occur AGAIN? Yes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5:51 PM. "Muffin" Cu congestus, center, has top high enough already to produce ice and precip!
5:51 PM. “Muffin” Cu congestus, center, has top high enough already to produce ice and precip!
6:13 PM, 22 min later. "Muffin" Cu cong has grown into a small Cumulonimbus with this pretty rainshaft.
6:13 PM, 22 min later. “Muffin” Cu cong has grown into a small Cumulonimbus with this pretty rainshaft.  But LOOK at how the clouds have filled in toward Sutherland H.!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6:53 PM. By this time more clouds were building upward, joining the fray, as here, and the whole sky was filling in. There was some stupendous cloud to ground lightning strikes with this one, but didn't capture them.
6:53 PM. By this time more clouds were building upward, joining the fray, as here, and the whole sky was filling in. There was some stupendous cloud to ground lightning strikes with this one, but didn’t capture them.

 

7:05 PM. Hard to put into words how pretty a sight this was, and so dramatic, full of portent.
7:05 PM. Hard to put into words how pretty a sight this was, and so dramatic, full of portent.

 

7:18 PM, 13 min later, the dump has come. This was the cell that produced almost continuous lightning toward the west into the early evening.
7:18 PM, 13 min later, the dump has come. This was the cell that produced almost continuous lightning toward the west into the early evening.

 

7:14 PM. In the meantime, this cloud base was expanding in the upwind direction toward Saddlebrooke-Charoleau Gap, eventually to be our rain-producer last evening.
7:14 PM. In the meantime, this cloud base was expanding in the upwind direction toward Saddlebrooke-Charoleau Gap, eventually to be our rain-producer last evening just after 8 PM AST.

 

 

Today’s weather? You’ll want to see Bob’s view and, of course, that of the TUS NWS, or your favorite TEEVEE forecaster’s.  U of AZ experts though today would be better than yesterday!

The End.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1Sometimes confused with the “monsoon” of India and south Asia, which is really a MONSOON with a giant low center circulating air around it for millions and millions of square miles.  Hey, Jabalpur had 17 centimeters of rain yesterday, 6.70 inches, and the rain is supposed to get heavier in the next couple of days!

By Art Rangno

Retiree from a group specializing in airborne measurements of clouds and aerosols at the University of Washington (Cloud and Aerosol Research Group). The projects in which I participated were in many countries; from the Arctic to Brazil, from the Marshall Islands to South Africa.