Today will be a special one in the desert. Cumulus bases are going to be really LOW for summer, maybe only 3-4 kft above the ground, and likely warmer than 15 C (50 F). Maybe 50 F doesn’t sound special, but it is. A base temperature of summer clouds that warm is rarely observed… Continue reading Special low cloud base day ahead; yesterday’s pretty cloud scenes
Category: Rainbows
Rare “Geo-Astro-Meteo Conjunction” captured on film!
Well, it used to be film…. Blobs of sprinkle clouds pummeled Catalina yesterday beginning soon after 12 Noon and ending only after 7 PM when an extraordinarily rare “Geo-Astro Meteo Conjunction” (GAMC) was observed due the conjunction of a rainbow, a moonrise exactly over Mt Lemmon, and the top of Mt. Lemmon itself visible through… Continue reading Rare “Geo-Astro-Meteo Conjunction” captured on film!
Great expectations of mice and men…
…weren’t quite realized1 in the rain totals that our storm produced; the very exciting prediction of several inches of water content foretold for Ms. Lemmon didn’t happen (see ALERT gauge listing below, saved for pretty much the maximum 24 h period of our storm.) Still, rains were substantial, the occasional morning lightning was great, and… Continue reading Great expectations of mice and men…
Boring but intersting day behind us
Well, it seems that the WP spell checker doesn’t work on titles. Intersting. Oh, well, “intersting” gives today’s cloud harangue a folksy, accessible aura I think. So not much happened yesterday. Kind of dank with that mid-level Altocumulus overcast, a few sprinkles-its-not-drizzle1 here and there most of the day. I noticed I didn’t take… Continue reading Boring but intersting day behind us
Big shots
First, yesterday’s sunrise rainbow, in case you missed it. “Dumps of the Day”: A little later, this masterpiece of a cloudburst, without doubt one of the most dramatic I have seen in five summers here, or anywhere really. Here’s the sequence:… Continue reading Big shots
In case you missed it, again
For those less weather-watchfully-endowed as a CM or CMJ is, these from last evening between 6:02 and 6:10 PM: Yes, Virginia, it did rain on the Lemmon yesterday, and that very light rain crept across SH-Catalina just after 6 PM yesterday, eventually crossing Oro Valley with a little baby sprinkle. Drops were pretty numerous, pretty… Continue reading In case you missed it, again
Distractions from disappointments; so many yesterday
Thought maybe a nice distraction from yesterday’s rain disappointment would be looking at some file boxes from the University of Washington’s Atmos. Sci. basement. This shot taken a couple of days ago. Enjoy thinking about what might be in these boxes, and what you would do with the contents. Have some extra coffee, talk it… Continue reading Distractions from disappointments; so many yesterday
Catalina miss, but an inch just next to Saddlebrooke
I guess we can be happy for them… Here’s how the day went.
Rained yesterday…
You probably don’t believe me, but at 2:08 PM, a few drops came down from this Cumulonimbus debris cloud, one that drifted off the Catalinas. Likely you were inside watching fubball or something instead of checking on a possible trace of rain. Oh, well. I understand. You had more important things to do than see… Continue reading Rained yesterday…
Drought staggering after heavy rain/snow punch, may go down someday; more blows ahead
Any winter storm that drenches the Catalina area, including Saddlebrookians, Oro Valleyians, with more than an inch of rain in 24 h has to be one of the greatest. Haven’t seen this much winter rain in since the so-called “Frankenstorm” of January 2010 when we got over 2 inches of rain in two days.… Continue reading Drought staggering after heavy rain/snow punch, may go down someday; more blows ahead