Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Cold Side Cumulus

Have you ever notice that fair weather cumulus clouds prevail in a ridge of high pressure? This is a pretty obvious observation that we are all familiar with. The cool and dry air in the ridge is just right for puffy cotton balls of cumulus but not too unstable for the taller cumulus and thunderstorms. These clouds evapourate like magic as soon as the leading edge of the next system crosses the area. The deformation zone of the warm conveyor belt that feeds the approaching system with heat and moisture can be almost invisible unless you are a keen meteorologist. Those curved arcs of cirrus in the western sky reveal the deformation zone that I am referring to. You can also infer the deformation zone by watching the cumulus vanish. It seems like a contradiction that the cumulus clouds disappear just as the upper atmosphere becomes moist but really it is the delicate dance that the atmospheric forces play out each and every day. The cold conveyor belt part of the ballet were the easterly winds that stirred up Singleton Lake on their way into the approaching ow pressure area.
The bottom line is that it will shower later on Wednesday.
I have been using more paint lately..

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