Not to worry; plenty of model rain still ahead in models

1While several inches of model2 rain has occurred in Catalina and in the nearby mountains this month, most of which cloud-maven person has festooned his blog with model panels of, there really hasn’t been any ACTUAL rain.

But having said that, there is even MORE model rain ahead, some beginning tomorrow in these parts.  Tomorrow’s rain comes from a sub-tropical minor wave ejecting from the sub-tropics.  You know, as a CMJ, a wave from that zone means a ton of high and middle clouds,  i.e., likely DENSE Altostratus with virga, something that was seen yesterday off to the SW of us.  This time, though, some rain should fall from these thick clouds, though almost certainly will be in the trace to a tenth of an inch range between tomorrow and Monday morning.

Model rain from 11 PM AST global data then falls in Catalina on:

February 24th

March 1st

March 7-9th

with the model total rain in these periods likely surpassing an inch or more!  What a model rain winter season this has been! Astounding.  The model washes have been running full since late December, too!

BTW, that last model rain period is really a great one, a major rain for ALL of Arizona!

Some recent clouds I have known and a couple of wildflowers
7:36 AM, Thursday, Feb 19:  Iridescence in Cirrocumulus.
7:36 AM, Thursday, Feb 19: Iridescence in Cirrocumulus.
7:52 AM, Thursday, Feb. 19:  Iridescence in Cirrocumulus with a tad of Kelvin-Helholtz waves (center, right)
7:52 AM, Thursday, Feb. 19: Iridescence in Cirrocumulus with a tad of Kelvin-Helholtz waves (center, right), ones that look like breaking ocean waves.  Kind of cool looking.
9:52 AM, Thursday, Feb. 19:  Altocumulus perlucidus exihibing crossing pattern.  Makes you think about football.
9:29 AM, Thursday, Feb. 19: Altocumulus perlucidus exhibiting crossing patterns, rows perpendicular to each other. Makes you think about football and people running out for passes.
9:42 AM, Thursday Feb 19:  An extremely delicate crossing pattern in Cirrocumulus, center.
9:42 AM, Thursday Feb 19: An extremely delicate crossing pattern in Cirrocumulus, center.  You’ll have to drill in good to see it, but its worth it.
10:39 AM, Thrusday, Feb 19: Pretty (mostly) Cirrus spissatus, a thick version in which shading can be observed.
10:39 AM, Thrusday, Feb 19: Pretty (mostly) Cirrus spissatus, a thick version in which shading can be observed.
6:13 PM, Thursday, Feb 19:  No idea what that stick contrail is.  Looks like a flight pattern to induce weightlessness.  Climb rapidly, round off the top, and then go down.  You can be weightless for maybe 10-30 seconds.  Been there, done that in a C-130 Hercules, last FACE flight of 1973, Bill Woodley lead scientist.
6:13 PM, Thursday, Feb 19: No idea what that stick contrail is. Looks like a flight pattern to induce weightlessness. Climb rapidly, round off the top, and then go down. You can be weightless for maybe 10-30 seconds. Been there, done that in a C-130 Hercules, last FACE flight of 1973, Bill Woodley lead cloud seeding scientist.  But, you pay a price, get smashed on the floor as the aircraft comes out of the dive.  You cannot get up!
Let's zoom in and see if we can learn more about this cloud.... Nope.
Let’s zoom in and see if we can learn more about what happened here.  I think a jet pilot was having fun.
Nope.
6:54 AM, yesterday.  Altostratus virga provides a spectacular, if brief sunrise over the Catalinas.
6:54 AM, yesterday. Altostratus virga provides a spectacular, if brief sunrise over the Catalinas.
6:15 PM last evening.
6:15 PM last evening.
DSC_3011
From a dog walk this VERY morning, a desert primrose.
From this morning's dog walk.
And  a desert onion bloom.

The End. Hope you enjoy the copious model rains ahead!

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1Today’s title is cribbed from Spinal Tap song, which is really quite great,  “Tonight I’m going to rock you tonight.”

2WRF-GFS and Canadian Enviro Can GEM accumulated bogus outputs.

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.