The comet continues to rise higher in the northwestern sky after sunset. It is now in a position so that I can get reflections of the comet in water at the same time that the comet is above the San Francisco Peaks. So I worked out the geometry and set up on Ashurst Lake, southeast of Flagstaff.
Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) over Ashurst Lake.
It didn’t work out for a couple of reasons. There was too much wind and the surface of the water remained ruffled rather than smooth. And then, as the comet was sinking lower in the sky and the winds began to diminsh clouds developed.
So, I’ll have to try this one again when I get better conditions.
For a few hours this morning (02 July 2020) the clouds were amazing. Laminar, wave-like clouds were visible across a portion of the sky and moving quickly to the north. Farther south, the sky remained clear. These clouds were apparently forming in a region of orographic uplift generated by the Mogollon Rim.
Wave clouds over Flagstaff.Wave clouds over Flagstaff.Wave clouds over Flagstaff.
But these clouds weren’t actually a surprise. Yesterdays models were forecasting a thin layer of moisture around 700 mb with much drier conditions both above and below that level.
Observed sounding from KFGZ at 1200 UTC 02 July 202024-hour forecast sounding for KFLG for 1200 UTC 02 July 2020
The GFS did a good job of forecasting both the thin layer of moisture and the stronger winds embedded in that layer. But where did those stronger winds and moisture originate?
HYSPLIT backward trajectories.
A look back using backward trajectories from the HYSPLIT model reveals some interesting origins. Higher-level air parcels originated over the northeast Pacific while low-level parcels originated over the eastern Pacific. The water vapor satellite images shows both of these source regions to be very dry.
Water vapor satellite image from 1200 UTC 29 June 2020.
The moist layer had its origins along the Mexico coast. The water vapor image shows substantial moisture associated with Tropical Depression FOUR-E.
Tropical depression FOUR-E.
So the shallow mid-level moist layer had its origins in the remnants of a tropical disturbance. Very interesting!
A winter storm brought snow, clouds, and fog to some of my favorite photographic locations. The early morning sun lights up a band of clouds that encircles the San Francisco Peak. Below the peaks, fog lies in the low areas of both Upper and Lower Lake Mary.
Fog and clouds wrap around the San Francisco Peaks.
A smaller area of fog sits in the corner of the Mormon Lake basin and partially obscures some of the old ranch buildings.
Fog and ranch buildings near Mormon Lake.Reflections.
Finally, a small patch of grass pokes up from the still water of Lake Mary while fog blurs the background.
National Parks, that is. Here are several photographs taken this winter in the National Parks and Monuments that are in northern Arizona.
Sunrise at Wukoki Pueblo, Wupatki National Monument.Sunrise at Wukoki Pueblo, Wupatki National Monument.
These two images were taken shortly after sunrise at Wukoki Pueblo in Wupatki National Monument. A recent snowstorm had brought snow to lower elevations and I was hoping there would be some snow at this location. No snow but the sunrise was still pretty nice.
New snow covers Sunset Crater.
Later that morning in Sunset Crater National Monument, where there was new snow, a small amount of snow on the namesake crater helping to reveal its subtle textures.
Low clouds and fog near the Unkar Delta in Grand CanyonClouds lift out of Grand Canyon.
The next two images are from Grand Canyon National Park at sunrise. A recent minor storm had left some low clouds and fog in the lowest reaches of the canyon. As the sun rose higher and the canyon walls warmed the fog was lifted up and out of the canyon producing some eye-level clouds for a brief moment.
Moonrise over North Rim of Grand Canyon.
Finally, we have a panorama of the rising nearly-full Moon in late afternoon. Wonderful!
New Year’s Day brought some interesting wave clouds to the San Francisco Peaks. I headed west to Brannigan Park to get both good views of the clouds and sunset colors on the peaks. In addition, I shot time-lapse video that shows the amazing motion of the wave cloud above the peaks and the cap cloud that obscures the summit.
Clouds over the San Francisco Peaks.Wave clouds above the San Francisco Peaks.
Time-lapse video of wave clouds and cap clouds.
And then there were these thin, wispy clouds catching the light of the setting sun.
