One of the great humilis days of our time; began with virga above Ms. Mt. Lemmon

I was really happy for everyone out there when the skies were dotted with so many perfect examples of Cumulus humilis.   It was like a numismatist finding a perfect Indian head penny.  If you were like me, and I suspect you are, you were just going CRAZY taking pictures of those flat little pancake clouds.  Those clouds were pretty much limited to about 1,000 feet (300 m) thick at most

Not cold enough for ice in them, of course, since the temperatures at Cumulus cloud tops were only around -3 ° to -5 °C (28 ° to 23 ° F, respectively).  Around here, ice USUALLY does not appear in clouds until the temperature is lower than -10 °C at cloud top.

Yesterday began with some light snow falling on Mt Lemmon…well, it was falling downward TOWARD Ms Lemmon, actually.  Fell out of some thick Altocumulus clouds up there around where the cloud top temperature is… what?  OK, silly question for you, probably lower than -15 °C (5 ° F).

Let’s check the sounding to be sure, remembering that the launch site (University of AZ) was downwind of air flowing from the NW yesterday that went over the Catalinas, so a sounding at the U of AZ might suggest higher temperatures than this cloud was actually at since the air was probably descending before it got there.

Indeed, as just seen by me, the TUS sounding indicates that layer, up around 14 kft above sea level, 11 kft or so above Catalina, not a city, but rather a Census Designated Place or CDP, was “only”at  -10 ° C.

I reject that as the temperature of the virga-ing cloud over Ms. Lemmon!  Its a little too warm IMO.

By afternoon, the skies over Catalinaland were spotted and dotted with spectacular Cumulis humilis examples.  (The littlest shred clouds are Cumulus “fractus.”)

I’ve left the time of the photos off today.  After all, there was only one true time yesterday, “perfect humilis time!” or as we like to say, “PHT.”   Immerse yourself.

The End