Ice-forming cloud street peppers Sutherland Heights with large raindrops, 5:11 to 5:22 PM; trace of rain recorded!

It was quite a surprise to this observer who claims to be a “cloud maven”, but whose credentials must be questioned, even if I do say so myself.  Was thinking plain old small to moderate Cu, hold the ice. But in a long cloud street, appearing to emanate from Kitt Peak, some ice started to… Continue reading Ice-forming cloud street peppers Sutherland Heights with large raindrops, 5:11 to 5:22 PM; trace of rain recorded!

The CDO roars after our 1.42 inches of rain

A few more hundredths fell after 7 AM yesterday, boosting our storm total to a remarkable 1.42 inches, January now about twice our long-term average. Here’s what all that precip did to our beloved Cañada del Oro Wash: Yesterday’s clouds After a few more hundredths of rain, the skies broke open, and as we know… Continue reading The CDO roars after our 1.42 inches of rain

Cold clouds and pretty, wintry scenes as long as they don’t last too long

What a gorgeous day yesterday was with deep blue skies dotted with Cumulus and one or two shallow Cumulonimbus, highlighted by our snow-capped Catalina Mountains.  After the brief warm up, more storms ahead for Catalina! Yesterday’s clouds Explanatory module below After the brief warm up ahead, still looks  “troughulent” and stormy in the SW as… Continue reading Cold clouds and pretty, wintry scenes as long as they don’t last too long

An unbelievably long blog about a surprise afternoon sprinkle of rain

A very few small, isolated drops fell between 4:50 and 5 PM here in Sutherland Heights from what appeared to be nothing overhead. You’d have to be really good to have not been driving, and to have anticipated the possibility (by recognizing ice in upwind clouds) and then having observed it.  You would be recognized,… Continue reading An unbelievably long blog about a surprise afternoon sprinkle of rain

“Just another day”, pretty much like the day before

“Just Another Day“, btw, one of the many great songs by Oingo Boingo, if you’ve ever heard of them.  We’re not just about clouds here.  Trying to broaden your pop cultural knowledge with distractions like this. Yesterday was remarkable  in how exact it was to the day before in clouds, but ultimately disappoiting.1  There was… Continue reading “Just another day”, pretty much like the day before

Another Catalina rain day for May 2015

We received 0.08 inches here in “The Heights” for a third day with measurable rain in May already.  0.12 inches fell at the Bridge on Golder Ranch Dr. , while Saddlebrooke got up to a quarter of an inch (as estimated by CMP) in a tiny streak of clouds that erupted into shallow Cumulonimbus clouds,… Continue reading Another Catalina rain day for May 2015

Surprise showers drop 0.02 inches in Sutherland Heights; April won’t be rainless!

Well, those showers were a surprise to “me and my model” yesterday morning, at least the one I looked at just before going on the air. There were no upstream echoes in the clouds upwind of us, either, something normally seen before cool season showers get here. Fortunately, I was able to get in a… Continue reading Surprise showers drop 0.02 inches in Sutherland Heights; April won’t be rainless!

The streets of Marana-Oro Valley-Catalina, the cloud ones

In case you didn’t notice, there was a prolonged street of clouds emanating from possibly as far away as Kit Peak, or maybe just the Tucson Mountains. Lasted for a few hours.Happens only on days with relatively shallow clouds (cloud-topped boundary layer) with a little wind, meaning that the thermals from the surface heating ended… Continue reading The streets of Marana-Oro Valley-Catalina, the cloud ones

The cloud streets of Oro Valley

  The weather way ahead after the upcoming heat wave I have been staring at this weather Rorschach test for a few hours now, and there’s not much to say about it, except that there seems to be two eyeballs near the North Pole, and maybe one of the yellow lines forming a jaw down… Continue reading The cloud streets of Oro Valley

Interesting sights; rain still on the Catalina event horizon

Too dark for the best sight, our 14-year old flat-coated retriever mix dog, at first seeming to be walking slowly up the dirt driveway in back of the house with another dog.  I could just make out two outlines.    I wondered whose dog had gotten out and was in our backyard?  Moving closer, I… Continue reading Interesting sights; rain still on the Catalina event horizon