Yesterday’s Bucket had some spectacular photos of stormy summer skies, what folks in the Eastern US are seeing these days with thunderstorms and unstable air. Over here in the Pacific Northwest, we rarely get thunderstorms, but about a week ago we had a doozy. It struck in the afternoon and went on all night. Ignited wildfires on the Olympic Peninsula. We had to go out to do something with the boat out before morning, so I was in the middle of the stormy drama that day as dusk fell.
Mr O paddled out to the boat in a kayak while I stood on the beach. Unstable air created layers of clouds, with the setting sun shooting underneath. Thunder boomed from all directions and occasionally I happened to be facing the direction of the lightning. Wow. Didn’t even try to catch that on film! (now if the thunder only came first….heh)
Behind me a double rainbow appeared for a few minutes. That’s my truck at the end of the rainbow.
That was it for us. The only thunderstorm we've had this summer. In the Pacific Northwest skies are calm usually at this time of year, with persistent high pressure….dry.
The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Rain, sun, wind...insects, birds, flowers...meteorites, rocks...seasonal changes...all are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
Mostly our summer skies are blue or hazy or foggy, or blue interspersed with poofy cumulus clouds. Winter skies are more dramatic. But occasionally we get some interesting ones at this time of year.
Here are a few summer skies in the past couple of years —
Now I’d like to see yours! A lot of daylight in summer. What are you seeing in your summer skies? Clouds, bugs, birds, meteors...maybe wind?
"SPOTLIGHT ON GREEN NEWS & VIEWS" IS POSTED EVERY SATURDAY AT 5:00 PM PACIFIC TIME AND WEDNESDAY AT 3:30 ON THE DAILY KOS FRONT PAGE. IT'S A GREAT WAY TO CATCH UP ON DIARIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED. BE SURE TO RECOMMEND AND COMMENT IN THE DIARY. |