More March rain ahead; and not so far ahead

That means that a deep Altostratus overcast will be in place by tomorrow with a load of virga and sprinkles, not really much rain since the bases will also be cold and…high.  Top possible rain amount from these high cold ones is a tenth of an inch, but more likely will be traces.  Chance of… Continue reading More March rain ahead; and not so far ahead

Sun and Altocumulus clouds combine to provide a colorful sunrise and a sunset on the same day! Rain on tap!

“Rain on tap” does not  refer to a microbrew, for those who’ve accidentally stumbled onto this site. Our nice sunrise and sunset, featuring supercooled1  Altocumulus clouds:       Rain on tap?  Oh, yeah….finally.  One forecaster friend is predicting 0.5 inches!  How nice would that be?  The rain will likely begin toward midnight–check it here… Continue reading Sun and Altocumulus clouds combine to provide a colorful sunrise and a sunset on the same day! Rain on tap!

Cloud patterns excite Catalinans; storms continue to pile up for January

A swatch of Altocumulus perlucidus translucidus (sorry, that’s the way we talk around here) passed over Catalina early yesterday afternoon, each “unit” nearly perfectly evenly spaced with its fellow cloud element creating a brief period of cloud awe for those Catalinans (or is it, “Catalina-ites”?  “Catalinians”?  Who knows, who cares?).  Here it is, in case… Continue reading Cloud patterns excite Catalinans; storms continue to pile up for January

Sprinkly clouds passed over during night; check dusty cars for drop craters and evidence of a trace of rain

Honestly, I gave up on the chance of rain overnight into this morning at sunset yesterday due to the absolutely clear skies.   And, like you, woke up to not one cloud within a 100 miles!  How could this be, given the synoptic situation?  Started slicing apples for some humble pie, but then, when looking… Continue reading Sprinkly clouds passed over during night; check dusty cars for drop craters and evidence of a trace of rain

Sunrise, sunset colors drench Gatalina, AZ; Cal storms reach epic proportions

We’re often confused with the California island, Catalina, and even places in Spain.   Google “Catalina” and see if I am lying again. Oh, maybe that was Catalonia, SP… Nevertheless, isn’t it time to think about a new name for our “Census Designated Place”, Catalina?  In fact, at one time, each Catalina island and our… Continue reading Sunrise, sunset colors drench Gatalina, AZ; Cal storms reach epic proportions

Strange sunset brew of clouds and color; but was it natural?

Cutting to the chase:  I don’t think so. Yesterday,  after an ordinary beginning,,  finished in a spectacular, if likely artificial way.  Let us work our way through yesterday’s cloudulations:   Later that morning….. But let’s go zooming up to flight level and take a closer look for a second: Now, where was I?  Got mammatus… Continue reading Strange sunset brew of clouds and color; but was it natural?

More odd optics; a Cirrostratus halo with a suggestion of a lower tangent arc

4:32 PM.  Mix of Altostratus and Altocumulus clouds, with just remnants of the lower Cu.  Here it appears that a liquid layer of Altocumulus now resides at the bottom of the Altostratus, or may be embedded in it.  The globular masses in the middle of this photo represent droplet clouds that appear to have merged… Continue reading More odd optics; a Cirrostratus halo with a suggestion of a lower tangent arc

Thunderstorms pound Catalina/Sutherland Heights with 0.01 inches of rain! Blog contains a horse photo!!

Well, a partial shot of a horse…. A horse photo will always enhance a blog about clouds.  Expecting a little uptick in readership due to this ploy,  maybe will break out of the single digit  column. Not much happened early on, a thin film of Cirrostratus covered much of the sky, delaying the expected development… Continue reading Thunderstorms pound Catalina/Sutherland Heights with 0.01 inches of rain! Blog contains a horse photo!!

While waiting for R, maybe R+ at times, some thoughts on the Super Bowl

Actually, there are no thoughts about the Super Bowl here.  The title was  just another cheap attempt to attract a reader that might be both cloud-centric AND  a football fan, creating a moneyful increase in web traffic for this blog. Yesterday’s gorgeous cloud patterns1 First you had your Cirrus, the highest of all clouds except… Continue reading While waiting for R, maybe R+ at times, some thoughts on the Super Bowl

Glimpse of an Ice Age just ahead, but maybe not here in Catalina

Like scientific opinion1, climate change happens.  You may not know this, but only 15,000  to 20,000 years or so ago,  a blink of an eye in light years, the earth was gripped by an Ice Age.  No “hockey stick” handle back then!  Snow and ice piled up over a kilometer deep on top of the… Continue reading Glimpse of an Ice Age just ahead, but maybe not here in Catalina