Cirrus and cumulus

05/15/12, 2 pm, looking north

Here is a mix of cloud types, high cirrus wisps in the upper middle, and chunky shadowed cumulus below. The blue of the sky is deepening in color as we transition from spring to summer.

High cirrus

03/30/12, 2 pm, looking west

These high whippy cirrus clouds covered the sky most of this day although later in the afternoon it was overcast. When you see cirrus there are winds up there and some of those were gusting around down low also. This was a nice spring day of moderate temperatures (high 60's) and soft breezes. March seems to be going out like a lamb.

Clouds low on the horizon

03/28/12, 3 pm, looking northwest

These mixed stratus and cumulus clouds seemed to collect low in the sky to the north. With a crazy range of temperatures on Wednesday--high of 83 degrees F and low of 41--the contrasts of spring continue. 


Clear in the morning? Just wait, there will be thunderstorms overnight. Longing to plant the garden? Still too cold at night for tomatoes, beans and squash. Spring continues with bright breezy sunshine and chills in the shade.

You know it's spring

03/23/12, 3 pm, looking north

03/24/12, 3 pm, looking east

In Central Virginia, you know it's spring when your car's windshield is dusted with yellow pollen. The wisteria is blooming in trees and along fences. The redbud and forsythia is in full bloom and the dogwood is just beginning to show its creamy white bracts.

03/25/12, 4 pm, looking northwest

You also know it's spring when huge cumulus clouds gather into gusty thunderstorms. The rain creates swirls of yellow pollen spirals in the puddles. Ah, spring!

Arrangements in gray, white and blue

03/20/12, 9 am, looking north

03/21/12, 10 am, looking east

03/22/12, 10 am, looking northeast

With warm daytime temperatures and cooling nights, we've had fog several mornings in a row. The first days of spring have been in soft focus. The thick early fog has lingered until late morning each day creating soft, muted blue skies with low diaphanous gray and white clouds. A couple of nights we've had brief thunderstorms with only a small amount of rain.


What causes the fog, you may ask? For the past few nights we've had moist air condensing after a warm day. The condensation mixes in the air and forms a low stratus cloud next to the earth. As the day warms in the morning, the moisture evaporates and the fog burns off.


These soft-focus cloudscapes are really abstract paintings. Like Whistler's "Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1" known more popularly as Whistler's Mother since she is the model.  When this painting was exhibited it was considered abstract (although that word was not used) due to the flatness of the space, geometric shapes and muted palette. Whistler made some wonderful paintings of London. A lovely, foggy one is "Grey and Silver: The Thames".

Warm and cumulus

03/19/12, 2 pm, looking north

The early spring warmth continues with a high of 77 degrees F--the average high for March 19th is only 61 degrees. This March may be a different version of the adage, "In like a lion and out like a lamb."  March 2012 may come in and go out like a lamb, no lions involved.


We had a sky covered with big soft cumulus clouds--a day that the sky looked more like summer than early spring or very late winter.

Spring cumulus

03/13/12, 2 pm, looking southeast

After a night of rain, then bright blue clear skies, the cumulus clouds rolled across the sky like lumpy white marbles. The high went up to 80 degrees F, again about 20 degrees warmer than normal. Plants continue to respond to the warmth and growth and bloom accelerates us into an early spring.

Early morning snow

03/05/12, 8 am, looking up

We woke to a pretty fall of big, fat snowflakes pouring down through the trees.  Although the snow clung to the grass and cars, it melted on paved areas. It was lovely but not inconvenient.


With about two inches of accumulation, the snow stopped falling by noon and melted by late afternoon. The transition from winter to spring continues.