SkyPix

A digital photographic storybook of clouds, weather and water by Roger Edwards.

Glory and 737 Shadow

By

As the plane descended, an otherwise drab deck of ragged stratocumulus took on this optical glory, which of course followed the apparently expanding shadow of the Boeing 737 all the way into the top of the cloud layer.  For an explanation of how the phenomenon works, check out a previous entry featuring a glory seen from too high above its causative clouds to make out the shadow. over northern … [Read more...]

Evening at the Port of Barcelona

By

My one viewable sunset in Barcelona was a special one, looking from the commercial quay across the harbor to the industrial docks, with resting kayakers, and gulls on their last flights of daylight before roosting.  The Port Vell Aerial Tramway's 351-foot Torre Jaume I (King James I of Aragon) tower, at left, links a smaller terminal tower behind the view to the hill in the distance; the tram has … [Read more...]

Altostratus in the High Sierra

By

Altostratus and fractostratus drift by during a light snowfall in the Sierras.  It had been an unusually moist winter, with 5–6 feet of snow already on the ground.  I took this photo from just under the top of a snow ledge behind a building, where the snow had been cleared to ground level so the back door could be used.  Altostratus is the stratoform cloud type which occupies mostly middle layers … [Read more...]

“Ground-Scraping” Wall Cloud

By

Menacing as it looks, this extremely low wall cloud never produced a tornado, and was only weakly rotating through most of its lifespan.  At times, the feature extended below the visible horizon, and likely was drawing condensation right off ground level at times.  Seen from anything but a hilltop perspective, an inexperienced spotter at this distance might have been fooled.  Wall clouds appear … [Read more...]

Small Multicell

By

Arising on a boundary left behind by earlier and long-deceased convection, this cumulonimbus erupted shortly before sunset, wearing a brilliant crown of glaciated anvil material visible prominently from the National Weather Center.  Soon, this storm also collapsed and dissipated in a huge heave of stable outflow.  The anvil pointing toward the WSW, the backshear pointing E, and the time of year … [Read more...]