Clouds without comment

Remember Consumer Reports, “Quotes Without Comment” page?  Well, I am lying like anything here1.

Only ONE comment today (I’m lying again), but its about wind today.  It will pick up suddenly from the north later this morning or in the early afternoon, and be gusty and cold.  We here in Catalina get more of this north wind than, say, TUS, which is blocked from this wind by the Catalina Mountains.  A big high is bulging into Utah, a state north of us, that’s why.

Next rain chances, a weak one late Wednesday or Thursday, and a stronger one around the 20-22nd, the latter as spaghetti has been suggesting for some time now.

Your cloud day below in case you were inside watching football television all day:

7:03 AM.
7:03 AM.  Note light rainshowers on north horizon.  Only a trace here.
9:14 AM. Looks pretty much the same. Hmmm. That's a comment. When it comes to clouds, I guess I just can't shut up, even when they're boring.
9:14 AM. Looks pretty much the same. Hmmm. That’s a comment. When it comes to clouds, I guess I just can’t shut up, even when they’re boring Stratocumulus.
9:15 AM. Only a minute later! Yes, a "concerto in gray" yesterday, and I want to make sure you see all of it.
9:15 AM. Only a minute later! Yes, a “Concerto in Gray” yesterday, to allude to some music that has not yet been written (perhaps it will be one day by a depressed composer), and I want to make sure you see all of the gray we had. Gray was my favorite color in elementary school! THought you’d like to know that. Man, after a second cup of coffee I am just exploding with interesting information!
11:49. Still "Overcast in Stratocumulus"; could be the second movement in "Concerto in Gray." Signs of break up here. another potential
11:49. Still “Overcast in Stratocumulus”; could be the second movement in “Concerto in Gray.” Signs of break up here.
11:50 AM. Some of you are dropping away like this horse. Can't take it anymore. Well, I demand a million dollars to stop blogging!
11:50 AM. Some of you are dropping away like Jake the horse. Can’t take it anymore. Well, I demand a million dollars to stop blogging!  Note, however, that “Dreamer” the horse is still paying attention, setting a good example.
3:26 PM. Skies eventually opened up and our pretty deep blue skies returned amid the small Cumulus and shallow Stratocumulus, a rousing, happy finale to our "Concerto in Gray."
3:26 PM. Skies eventually opened up and our pretty deep blue skies returned amid the small Cumulus and shallow Stratocumulus, a rousing, happy finale to our “Concerto in Gray.”
3:58 PM. "Frosty the Lemmon"; could be a popular Christmas song. If you stepped away from football television for even a minute, you might have noticed this interesting look on Ms. Lemmon. This frosty look is almost certainly due to "riming" on the trees, the collection of supercooled cloud drops in clouds that are not snowing much or at all. Substantial water can be collected by trees on mountains when supercooled clouds envelope them. Hope that science not wasn't piling on the boring for you. Piling on can be a penalty in football if it happens late like in this blog. I demand two millions dollars to stop blogging!
3:58 PM. “Frosty the Lemmon”; could be a popular Christmas song. If you stepped away from football television for even a minute, you might have noticed this interesting look on Ms. Lemmon. This frosty look is almost certainly due to “riming” on the trees, the collection of supercooled cloud drops by the trees in windy clouds that are not snowing much or at all envelope them. The liquid drops hit and freeze and buildup on them, much like airframe icing.  Substantial water can be collected by trees on mountains when supercooled clouds envelope them in windy conditions like yesterday. Hope that bit of science wasn’t piling on the boring for you. “Piling on” can be a penalty in football if it happens late,  like in this blog.  I demand TWO millions dollars to stop blogging!
5:20 PM. OK, some ice cream on your plain oatmeal; a pertty sunset, pastel Altocumulus above (gray, of course) Stratocumulus.
5:20 PM. OK, some ice cream on your plain oatmeal; a pertty sunset, pastel Altocumulus above (gray, of course) Stratocumulus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The End, at last.  You can wake up now, horsey!

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1It comes pretty easily to weather forecasters, but you do have to speak with conviction; a certain degree of authenticity has to be imparted when lying.  :}

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.