If you're new to learning about clouds, I would recommend starting here to get the basics. This website, although made for children, is very basic and informative. It serves as a building block for putting concepts together to further expand your knowlegde and understanding of clouds, and what they can tell you about weather patterns.
First week of March:
These are a couple of photos I took one moring on my way into school, probably around 7:00am ish or so. I believe what we have here is some radiation fog, otherwise known as ground fog. This happens when heat radiates away from the ground, cooling the fround and the air next to it. Then denser, colder air flows into low places. Fog forms as air cools to its dew point. When the sun comes up in the morning its heat raises the temperature above the dew point and the fog burns off. At this point it looks like most of the fog is almost gone.
The fog is hard to see in this image, but it's located under the sun and kind of into the trees to the right.
The fog in this image is a little easier to see. It's very pretty against the snow!
March 12, 2013:
Here are several pictures I took the day following Winter Storm Triton. Winds were coming from the NW around 10-15 mph weather stations recorded cloud conditions as overcast (if you would like to read the weather report for this day please refer to my main blog page for 3/12/13). Pictures were taken in all directions and at different locations around 2:00pm. I may have went a little overboard on cloud pictures for one day but I just couldn't help myself. They were so beautiful!!
These images were taken standing on MacArthur Street by the soccer fields, looking to the southest.
Look at these beautiful cumulus clouds! They're so pretty and fluffy! I makes me wish I could go jump around on them!
These next two images are my favorite out of all of them! It looks almost looks magical! Here we can see cumulus humilis clouds in the distance over the hoizon and alto cirrus clouds more overhead. This shearing suggests a change in wind direction.
This next image was taken at the same spot as the previous image, but facing the east. Here we can see the skies are much more blue and the cumulus clouds are begining to look softer, indicating more ice crystals in the them.
These next few images were taken at the Kwik Trip also looking towards the southwest. These were a little more to the south then the previous pictures.
Here we see cumulus clouds with a whispy trail. The soft whispy clouds suggest more ice crystals in them.
I should have taken this picture at a better angle. Again, we can see a lot of variation in cloud type.
This image was also taken at the Kwik Trip facing the northeast. The cumulus clouds clouds are beginning to look more like stratocumulus clouds and are more gray with a duller blue sky.
This image was taken at the interseciton of Craig road and Hwy 37 looking south. This is where the break between the stratocumulus and cirrus and cumulus clouds was.
The next three images were all taken more south looking to the southwest. Here we can see a lot of cumulus humilis clouds with minor shearing.
What a gorgeous day to be observing the clouds!!!
March 25, 2013
The first 3 photos were taken around 2:00pm. The location these photos were taken from is from the Arby's parking lot on Hendrickson Dr. in Eau Claire, WI. Winds this day were coming from the NW around 10-15 mph. Winds coming from the NW indicate fair to good conditions because there is no moisture being fed into them the induce precipitation.
This image was taken looking NW. In the distance we can see cumlus humilis clouds and closer to us, further S, we can stratocumulus clouds. Cumulus clouds indicate a sign of fine weather. These clouds are made when warm air rises, reaches its dew point, and then condenses. Stratocumulus clouds indicate low-level moisture at temperatures ranging from somewhat above to well below freezing. This maks sense since the temperature at that time was around 36F. For these clouds to form, adequate low-level moisture is needed so that saturation is reached.
This image was taken looking to the NE. Again, we see stratocumulus clouds with blue skies poking through.
This image was taken looking almost straight up but to the S. Again, we see stratocumulus clouds. However, these look a little more wispy than the previous two which would indicate more ice crystals in the air, as opposed to water droplets.
The next seven images were taken off of Mitchell Rd in Eau Claire, WI about a half mile off of highway 37 around 6:15pm.
The next 3 images were taken looking to the SW. I believe the type of cloud we're looking at here is altocumulus clouds. These types of clouds form when there is moisture present at middle levels and when temperatures range from somewhat colder than freezing to a little warmer than freezing.
The next four images are all stratocumulus clouds. The first image was taken looking to the S.
This images was taken looking to the E.
This image was taken looking almost straight up but the NE.
This image was taken looking SW (but more S than the previous ones taken to the SW).
The next three images were taken further S on Cty Rd ZZ. With the first two images we see combinations of cumulus and cirrus clouds. Typically, a combination of these two cloud types indicate adequate moisutre in the upper level of the atmosphere. This allows for the formation of the cirrus clouds. Vertical motions, due to low-level instability, combined with a source of moisutre in the lower levels form the cumulus clouds. These conditions are common in fair weather.
This image was taken looking to the SE.
This image was taken looking S.
This image was taken looking straight up. Here I think we're looking at cirrus fibratus clouds. Cirrus clouds are usually composed of ice crystals and look thin and wispy. Typically, they indicate fair weather. These clouds form when there is moisture at high levels colder than freezing.
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