Not your everyday clouds!
It started in Monument Valley, AZ on our first major Getaway in 2010. Something beautiful was happening in the stormy sky with squalls of rain descending in angled, wind-blown precision onto muddy-red desert buttes. (This photo happens to be the first image in our GGG1 gallery, below!)
Then in Colorado, we saw intimidating “thunderheads” exploding from angry dark cores into mushrooms of balloon-like shades of grey and white. We were captivated.
From that moment on, clouds have been one of the anticipated spectacles of our travels...and topics of front seat conversation. We gasp as we see these unexpected terrestrial plumes – always different, always changing, always impressive.
And dramatic cloud formations in the Las Vegas Valley also can be awesome, particularly during our annual monsoon season.
So, we started taking cloud photos and we’d like to share some of these remarkable formations with you. We ended up with a lot of clouds...and they are all different...and amazing.
BTW, in wandering the Web, I came across an interesting site called the CLOUD APPRECIATION SOCIETY, headquartered in Somerton, UK. It’s well worth a visit...especially if you’re a cloud buff! Check it out by clicking their website at cloudappreciationsociety.org/.
But, before you do, here's a short layman's science lesson about "clouds"...
1. Clouds are water drops or ice crystals floating in the sky. There are many kinds of clouds. All are important to Earth’s weather.
2. The sky can be full of water, but most of the time the water can’t be seen because the particles are too small. They have turned into a gas called water vapor. As the water vapor goes higher in the sky, the air gets cooler. The cooler air causes the water droplets to stick to things like bits of dust, ice or sea salt.
3. Clouds get their names in two ways. One way is by where they are found in the sky. Some clouds are high up in the sky. Low clouds form closer to Earth’s surface. In fact, low clouds can even touch the ground; these are called fog.
4. Another way clouds are named is by their shape. Cirrus clouds are high clouds; they look like feathers. Cumulus clouds are middle clouds and resemble giant cotton balls. Stratus clouds are low clouds and cover the sky like bed sheets.
5. Snow-generating clouds are called cumulonimbus. As liquid water grows in the cloud, it is lifted aloft and freezes. As it drops, it begins to melt but soon the updrafts are strong enough to carry it upward again adding more liquid water to be frozen on its surface. In these clouds, there is little vertical motion and no melting and re-freezing, thus the snow can easily fall under the weight of gravity.
6. So what causes rain? The water droplets in clouds are so light they float in the air. Sometimes they join with other droplets and turn into larger drops. When that happens, gravity causes them to fall to Earth. We call those falling drops “rain.” When the air is colder, the water may form snowflakes instead. Freezing rain, sleet or hail can also fall from clouds.
-- LL (text includes contributions by NASA)
Then in Colorado, we saw intimidating “thunderheads” exploding from angry dark cores into mushrooms of balloon-like shades of grey and white. We were captivated.
From that moment on, clouds have been one of the anticipated spectacles of our travels...and topics of front seat conversation. We gasp as we see these unexpected terrestrial plumes – always different, always changing, always impressive.
And dramatic cloud formations in the Las Vegas Valley also can be awesome, particularly during our annual monsoon season.
So, we started taking cloud photos and we’d like to share some of these remarkable formations with you. We ended up with a lot of clouds...and they are all different...and amazing.
BTW, in wandering the Web, I came across an interesting site called the CLOUD APPRECIATION SOCIETY, headquartered in Somerton, UK. It’s well worth a visit...especially if you’re a cloud buff! Check it out by clicking their website at cloudappreciationsociety.org/.
But, before you do, here's a short layman's science lesson about "clouds"...
1. Clouds are water drops or ice crystals floating in the sky. There are many kinds of clouds. All are important to Earth’s weather.
2. The sky can be full of water, but most of the time the water can’t be seen because the particles are too small. They have turned into a gas called water vapor. As the water vapor goes higher in the sky, the air gets cooler. The cooler air causes the water droplets to stick to things like bits of dust, ice or sea salt.
3. Clouds get their names in two ways. One way is by where they are found in the sky. Some clouds are high up in the sky. Low clouds form closer to Earth’s surface. In fact, low clouds can even touch the ground; these are called fog.
4. Another way clouds are named is by their shape. Cirrus clouds are high clouds; they look like feathers. Cumulus clouds are middle clouds and resemble giant cotton balls. Stratus clouds are low clouds and cover the sky like bed sheets.
5. Snow-generating clouds are called cumulonimbus. As liquid water grows in the cloud, it is lifted aloft and freezes. As it drops, it begins to melt but soon the updrafts are strong enough to carry it upward again adding more liquid water to be frozen on its surface. In these clouds, there is little vertical motion and no melting and re-freezing, thus the snow can easily fall under the weight of gravity.
6. So what causes rain? The water droplets in clouds are so light they float in the air. Sometimes they join with other droplets and turn into larger drops. When that happens, gravity causes them to fall to Earth. We call those falling drops “rain.” When the air is colder, the water may form snowflakes instead. Freezing rain, sleet or hail can also fall from clouds.
-- LL (text includes contributions by NASA)
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