What do Scientists Read on Holiday?
Dear Mr. Gooley,I have stumbled upon your book on the secret world of weather in a small bookstore in Flagstaff, Arizona on a road trip.…
Tag: clouds
What are Lens Clouds? (Altocumulus lenticularis)
Lens clouds are saucer, lens or lentil-shaped clouds that form when wind blows moist air over mountains. Their formal name is Altocumulus lenticularis (lenticula means…
What is a Distrail?
A distrail is the clear path through a cloud formed in the wake of an aircraft. Distrails form because the aircraft turns the water droplets…
Nature’s Clues and Signs – Tarn, France
Here’s my selection following a short visit to friends in the Tarn region of southern France. Stately Homes The older, bigger and grander a building…
I Had to Reach Out
My thanks to Betsy from Corvallis, Oregon, USA, for this email: Hi! I don’t know if the author has time for such small excitements, but…
Why is visibility so good in the mountains?
Many visitors to cold mountains are struck by the amazing visibility. The visibility is so good that it can trick the brain into thinking things…
A Plein-Air Artists’ Manual
One of the great joys of natural navigation is that it intrigues such a wide variety of people, something it shares with food. We can’t…
A Big Green Dew Machine
My thanks to Peter Gibbs for this gem of an email: I thought you might like this observation from today. I’ve been working in the…
What is the Planetary Boundary Layer?
From The Secret World of Weather: The lowest part of the atmosphere is the only area strongly influenced by the sun’s radiative heating of the…
Observing Saturn’s Rings – A Tip
My thanks to Prof. Otta Wenskus for an interesting tip for observing Saturn: This has been a lousy summer for stargazing, though great for learninglots…
The Meaning of Cloud Streets
On a flight back from Spain to the UK, we were treated to a great display of “cloud streets” over France. They form parallel to…
When clouds appear like rocks and towers…
… the Earth’s refreshed by frequent showers. It is so rewarding when weather lore helps us remember a clue. It is doubly satisfying when this…
The Foehn Fish
Another very interesting email from Prof. Otta Wenskus: Hi Tristan, I just read your paragraph on altocumulus lenticularis. Sadly, while Ifind them beautiful, my feelings…
Feedback from Michigan
My thanks to Tim Webb for reading my books and writing with some local feedback: I thought you may enjoy this photo. Contrails in west…
Downpour Dodging
Yesterday it was time put my body where my pen was. I had a lot of fun picking a route through the South Downs that…
Two Cloud Signs Showing Rain Likely Soon
There are two strong cloud signs in this picture showing that rain is likely soon. A heavy downpour started 20 minutes after this photos was…
The Clouds Map the Ground
On first glance these clouds may appear random. But they are far from it. They are making a map of the ground for us. With…
The Wind Shift Before the Weather Change
Or… The Art of Staring at Blue Skies This video is a time lapse of a couple of hours of looking out over the western…
“Gorse is out of bloom, when kissing’s out of fashion”
There was heavy snow in the early hours of Sunday morning. We didn’t need any more encouragement. The Gooley family set off for an explore…
Winter Sea Cumulus
The clouds always make a map for us. On winter mornings, the cumulus clouds map the sea. A lot more about this and the other…
How to Gauge High Winds Using Trees
The tops of trees or other fixed objects in the middle distance make it easier to gauge the effect of the wind on clouds or…