Solar flare

01/24/12, 5:30 pm, looking west

The sun returned to Central Virginia today. I know it was there all the time, but we couldn't see it for all the clouds, mist and fog. And, coincidentally, today the earth receives the largest solar flare in six years. 


These blazing clouds are two contrails and one wispy cirrus paisley shape that reflected the colors of the setting sun. So nice that the sun is setting later and later each day. Sunset was 5:24 pm on January 24th and a little more than a minute later each day. Oh, and the high today was 65 degrees F!

Contrails or cirrus clouds?

Contrails, short for condensation trails, are visible trails of condensed water vapor exhausted from jet engines. Often they appear and fade away almost immediately. Sometimes they linger in the sky as trails or are teased out into wisps by the wind. In the latter case, they look like cirrus clouds.


It is thought that after contrails spread out, they essentially become cirrus clouds and affect the planetary climate in similar ways. On days when contrails disappear almost immediately, one can expect continuing good weather. When contrails persist for hours, there will be a change in the weather.


Friday, November 18th was a transitional day from our cold front to warmer weather leading into rain by Monday. This sky pattern was visible at about noon on November 18th in the southeast.