Rainbows and sunsets; also, fall weather coming in October!

Should be some good rain today in Catalina, FINALLY!  Thinking maybe half an inch or so over the next 24 h, something decent,  as tropical air drains o northward and over us out of tropical storm remnant, Roslyn (“Rozzi”).

Clouds and weather interruption:

Due to the name of our weather-affecting tropical storm, Roslyn, I am now reminded of a profound, life-altering “Hallmarky” chapter of life when I was in HS, involving another Roslyn  (aka, “Rozzi”).    In an another attempt to increase blog readers, those really not interested in clouds and weather anyway,  I have inserted this story about a 15-year old, shy boy and his incapacitating crush on a Rozzi R as a junior in HS I suspect it is a fairly common one in some ways, although this one leads to the formation of other people with a different classmate.    The Story of Rozzi R

This story was passed to Rozzi, who had no idea who I was,  only in 2009, btw.  She seemed to like it, and told me about her life, family and three kids.  I think its OK to share it.

——————————

Back to weather, at 7:11 AM, one pulse of rain is within a half an hour or so.  (Later, we only got sprinkles out of that first pulse).

Yesterday’s clouds

Nice rainbow last evening; nice sunset, too:

6:26 PM. Altocumulus and
6:26 PM. Altocumulus and patches of a higher mostly ice cloud (Cirrus spissatus or Alstratus?) provided quite a nice sunset yesterday evening.  Back the other way, were rainbows galore.
6:11 PM. Rainbow under a more or less stratiform remnant of a Cumulonimbus cloud.
6:11 PM. Rainbow under a more or less stratiform remnant of a Cumulonimbus cloud.
DSC_8441
6:17 PM.

The Prodigal Storm yesterday afternoon

Yesterday afternoon had quite the dump and something of a little ‘boob from the outflow winds, so much rain came down initially around Oro Valley/Marana, west Tucson, south of Pusch Ridge.  Was heading this way, too, with nice big, black, solid-looking base.  Started a video of it, thinking about the gush was to strike Sutherland Heights/Catalina.

Here it is, in all of its glory and subsequent dissipation:

3:09 PM. Outflow from TUS storm builds ledge of Cumulus base S-SW of Pusch Ridge.
3:09 PM. Outflow from TUS storm builds ledge of Cumulus base S-SW of Pusch Ridge.
DSC_8396
3:20 PM. Only 11 minutes later that new base has unloaded its load on Oro Valley. ).59 inches at the CDO and Ina Road intersection yesterday, but likely an inch fell out of this in the peak rain area. Note how the winds are pushing rain and dust west and northwest.
3:25 PM. She'll be comin' around the mountain when she comes. This was looking so good for us. Why? Look at that great SOLID base coming at us ahead of the rain!
3:25 PM. She’ll be comin’ around the mountain when she comes. This was looking so good for us. Why? Look at that great SOLID base coming at us ahead of the rain!  The lower scruffs of cloud are called “pannus” and in this case they are created by the nose of the outlfowing winds from this storm.  What you want is for those outlfowing winds to keep generating new, fresh Cumulus bases, ones that explode upward into Cumulonimbus clouds.  Without the new, good base and the updraft that goes with it, all of the rain can fallout in less than half an hour from the ones already raining.  Its a supply thing, you have to keep it going.  What if there were no new people born?  Well, after awhile the supply of people would run out.
3:31 PM. By this time, you're getting worried about this incoming system. Look what's happening to the formerly solid base. Its beginning to get "lumpy" looking with dark and lighter spots telling you the updraft is getting broken up, fallling apart, maybe due to the blockage presented by Pusch Ridge.
3:31 PM. By this time, you’re getting worried about this incoming system. Look what’s happening to the formerly solid base. Its beginning to get “lumpy” looking with dark and lighter spots telling you the updraft is getting broken up, fallling apart, maybe due to the blockage presented by Pusch Ridge.  But there’s still hope, the updraft MIGHT reassemble itself….and there are still a couple of pretty good base “hot spots” where the updraft is still good.
3:37 PM. "Its is finished."
3:37 PM. “Its is finished.”  What;s heading toward Catalina is that transparent veil of rain on the left of the shaft.  We now have no chance for a major dump.  Maybe it will measure though, a few hundredths…
3:44 PM. Need more be said? Sprinkles occurred here, did not measure. Warning: A sprinkle isn't drizzle, a continuing theme here.
3:44 PM. Need more be said? Sprinkles occurred here, it did not measure. Warning: A sprinkle isn’t drizzle, a continuing theme here.  Look at the “crapulent” bases now!  Oh, me.  I wanted to go in the house and never come out again, it was SO DEPRESSING to see this happen.  Lots of storms make it past Pusch Ridge, too, but not this faker.
3:44 PM. As usual, major shafting occurred AROUND Catalina, and not on it, pretty much like this whole summer has been.
3:44 PM. As usual, major shafting occurred AROUND Catalina, and not on it, pretty much like this whole summer has been.  This is looking north toward Bio2
DSC_8429
5:16 PM. Nice interplay of rain and sun.

Models, with spaghetti support, show a strong, but dry,  cold front coming through next week, and fall will be in the air as nighttime lows drop into the 40s in our colder, lower spots, like at the bottom of Catalina State Park, in the CDO wash, etc.

The End.

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.

6 comments

  1. Hi Art: I enjoyed reading your letter to “Rozzi”- to some degree I can relate to it. Anyway, nice late September weather here. Cool start (44F) with some high clouds and a red sunrise, but nice afternoon.

    1. Thanks for your words, Roland. We had a titanic cell develop near us last evening, probably dumped 2-3 inches in its core. The wash below us flowed big for a time last night, and had scattered golf balls in it, an indication there was a big impact on the planned community of Sasddlebrooke. Kind of a humorous sight, too.

    1. Thanks, Travis, for your take. It was a crazy time in my life, so many feelings and not knowing how to express them.

  3. Hi Art!! I spent the last couple of hours going through your blog now that I found it! Wonderful work, and quite a find for a fellow sky lover. You may remember me from our days at the UW, Joanne Bottoms. I’m Joanne Kagan now, recently retired from the NWS DC HQ acronym haven and now living in Santa Fe. We moved here 6 months ago..I wasn’t sure I’d survive monsoon season..the skies were overwhelmingly incredible every day. I wanted to say hi..and please feel free to email me at santafeweathergal@gmail.com!

    1. Oh, my gosh, Joanne! How often I have wondered where you were over the years because I remember how similar we were in that regard when we were both working under Peter so many years ago. Its great to hear that your in the neighborhood, sort of. Congratulations on retiring, too, Joanne, though you’ll find you’re much busier than before you retired.

      Thanks for your very kind words regarding this blog, in which I get out some silliness, but also try to educate while being silly. I think I owe that to the public that funded Peter’s group all those years on grants so’s we could fly in clouds and smog and stuff like that.

      Yes, the skies are “incredible” here, too. You seem to see so much more going on here, lacking the perpetual Stratocu overcast or broken layer that hides so much of the detail and patterns of the higher clouds.

      I really liked your description of the “NWS DC HQ acronym haven.” So true.

      Great to hear from you, Joanne. We must keep in touch.

      a

Comments are closed.