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.](https://cloud-maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_2936-1024x682.jpg)
![7:52 AM, Thursday, Feb. 19: Iridescence in Cirrocumulus with a tad of Kelvin-Helholtz waves (center, right)](https://cloud-maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_2944-1024x682.jpg)
![9:52 AM, Thursday, Feb. 19: Altocumulus perlucidus exihibing crossing pattern. Makes you think about football.](https://cloud-maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_2948-1024x682.jpg)
![9:42 AM, Thursday Feb 19: An extremely delicate crossing pattern in Cirrocumulus, center.](https://cloud-maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_2956-1024x682.jpg)
![10:39 AM, Thrusday, Feb 19: Pretty (mostly) Cirrus spissatus, a thick version in which shading can be observed.](https://cloud-maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_2968-1024x682.jpg)
![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.](https://cloud-maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_2982-1024x682.jpg)
![Let's zoom in and see if we can learn more about this cloud.... Nope.](https://cloud-maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_2983-1024x682.jpg)
Nope.
![6:54 AM, yesterday. Altostratus virga provides a spectacular, if brief sunrise over the Catalinas.](https://cloud-maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_2995-1024x682.jpg)
![6:15 PM last evening.](https://cloud-maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_3008-1024x682.jpg)
![DSC_3011](https://cloud-maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_3011-1024x682.jpg)
![From this morning's dog walk.](https://cloud-maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_3012-1024x682.jpg)
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.