clouds (photo by Kate St. John)
Let’s appreciate clouds. Tuesday January 22 was an especially good day for them.
After a beautiful red sunrise the sky cleared enough to reveal thin, wavy clouds flowing overhead. The National Weather Service said these clouds were at 11,000 feet — “alto” height, not cirrus height — but they really looked like this cirrocumulus undulatus photo at the International Cloud Atlas. Notice the feathery details in the photos above. (The four slides show two in normal color and two enhanced for contrast).
Cirrus clouds indicate a change in the weather. So did the red sunrise, photographed by Dan Dasynich. “Red sky at morn, sailors forewarn.”
Almost clear on Tuesday we had rainy, foggy weather the next day. The clouds told us it was coming.
(slideshow photos by Kate St. John, sunrise by Dan Dasynich)
That “red sky” axiom only really works at lower latitudes where the easterly trade winds prevail. Thus a red sky in morning means clouds – weather is approaching – from the east where the sun rises. Same for the evening where a red sky means clouds are departing (to the west) and fair skies are arriving.