of raingauges wanted. It was another spectacular sunset yesterday evening after another dry day here in Catalina. You hate to see a completely dry day go by during our peak of the summer rain season, July 5th through August 20th. Below, the best we could do over Mt. Sara Lemmon in the way… Continue reading Less color, more filling…
Category: Cumulus clouds
Watching rain come out of the Arizona summer sky
Here is a sequence of photos showing the development of a rainshaft from a prior “doing nothing” cloud base. For a long time, it appeared that these dark clouds, bottoms of Cumulus clouds, were too raggedy, not contiguous enough in a nice, large and dark region indicating a wide updraft, one that might push cloud… Continue reading Watching rain come out of the Arizona summer sky
“Groundhog Day” all over again
If you mainly focus on going to movies about weathermen, you will remember this classic along with Steve Martin’s “LA Story.” Bill Murray, the weatherman, is condemned to live the same day over and over again until he gets it right. Since yesterday was a near repeat in many respects to the failed rain… Continue reading “Groundhog Day” all over again
Too much “Altostratus cumulonimbogenitus”
Yes, that really is a cloud name; kinda silly really. Oh, well…. First, since there wasn’t enough rain here to make me happy–there wasn’t ANY in Catalina yesterday, I thought I would start out by making people feel better with a “Clouds R Fun” photo from yesterday. Here are two “puppy” clouds, side by side,… Continue reading Too much “Altostratus cumulonimbogenitus”
Stormy, pretty weather
It’s great when things are as they are supposed to be. Below, “the usual” kinds of scenes in July in southeast AZ from yesterday, such as Cumulus boiling off Mt Lemmon in the late morning, followed by dense rainshafts in almost every direction in the later afternoon. I love these scenes! Well, “usual” for SE… Continue reading Stormy, pretty weather
0.73 inches
Bullseye thunderstorm off the Catalina’s between 12:30 and 1:30 PM really did it, dropping a miraculous 0.55 inches. I suspect that 300 yards N and S got less than our driveway did where the gage is located. The smells, the puddles, the water running down the road; it was all so marvelous, and seemingly… Continue reading 0.73 inches
Invasion of the water molecules
At least more of them…. Overnight (take a look here), the dewpoint temperature, a measure of how much frost would build up in your refrigerator freezer and/or drip down the walls of it if you left the doors open and the refrigerator on, climbed a whopping ten degrees early this morning! Yay, “mo better”… Continue reading Invasion of the water molecules
First thunder
While only a disappointing trace of rain was observed here, it was so stimulating to see that evening lightning flicker beyond the Catalina mountains for the first time this summer. And then see more lightning, unexpectedly, close enough to produce the first thunder early this morning between 2-4 AM. A few large, sparse drops… Continue reading First thunder
“Pyrocumulus”, an awful sight yesterday evening
There may have been some sharp eyed folks that saw a great looking Cumulus congestus in the distance off to the NNE of Catalina yesterday. The shots below were just before 7 PM LST. Perhaps there was a shower or thunderstorm on the Mogollon Rim. Sadly, even I was fooled for a few microseconds… Continue reading “Pyrocumulus”, an awful sight yesterday evening
First hot air Cumulus over the Cat Mountains, Friday, June 17th
Small now, but what portent for the summer weeks ahead when it’s big brothers will show up over the Catalina Mountains; a real milestone, so pretty. This photo was yesterday, at 2:45 PM, when it was 101 F! Cloud name: Cumulus humilis or Cumulus fractus. Later, smoky Altocumulus filled in before and at sunset as… Continue reading First hot air Cumulus over the Cat Mountains, Friday, June 17th