Cloud Journal

Slowly clearing

2012-02-13T20:07:00.000Z

The day began with mist and frost. The sky was mostly stratus, then it started to break up in the afternoon.

Sun, setting

2012-02-10T21:51:00.000Z

A quick blaze before it retires. Almost cloudless, apart from a few contrails and scraps of stratocumulus.

More snow forecast

2012-02-09T18:22:00.000Z

The temperature had crept up a bit earlier in the day but by the time this was taken (late afternoon) it was down to just under 0° again.

Blue sky and a slight thaw

2012-02-06T22:18:00.001Z

Some sunshine this afternoon.

Snow

2012-02-05T21:36:00.002Z

To hear the news, you'd think we'd never had snow before. This is what it looked like late afternoon today - complete cloud cover, and starting to get misty.

Blue sky

2012-01-27T17:54:00.000Z

Hazy blue sky with some cumulus in the distance (to the east). Weather forecasters say it'll get colder.

Cold westerly wind

2012-01-26T20:05:00.003Z

There was a cold wind from the west as a bunch of cumulonimbus passed overhead mid-afternoon. After 10-15 minutes, they'd moved on and the sky above was clear.

Even the pigeons looked bored

2012-01-25T17:57:00.003Z

A warm grey day today.

A changeable sky

2012-01-19T17:15:00.000Z

There were a few spots of rain just before this - hardly enough to bother about. About lunchtime, and the edge of a sheet of altostratus with a roll of cumulus clouds in the distance, looking south east.

Late afternoon, and some cumulus fractus were silhouetted by the setting sun.

The same time as the last photo - a pastel-tinted sky with altostratus (some undulatus to the left). Five minutes earlier there was more pink but by the time I'd grabbed the camera and put my shoes on, it had mostly gone.

Cold cirrus

2012-01-17T17:30:00.000Z

Last night it was cold and clear - perfect for the BBC's Stargazing Live programme. Today it was bright and sunny, with assorted cirrus clouds in all directions.

Fleeting images

2012-01-12T17:06:00.000Z

It was windy at ground level, which was good for my washing, and also windy at high altitudes, judging from the speed the clouds were moving at. This was taken at about 4pm, looking west.

As I was processing the first photo (within half an hour) I happened to look out of the window (facing east) and noticed a pink blush. By the time I got outside, it had almost gone.

A Spring day in January

2012-01-11T11:40:00.000Z

It's bright and sunny and unseasonably warm. I shall do some gardening, but it's January, for heaven's sake!

Mid-morning, and the sky was mostly clear; just a few contrails and some streaks of altocumulus in the east.

Mostly grey

2012-01-10T20:54:00.000Z

The sun shone briefly mid-afternoon but I was too busy to go out. When I did, it had gone, though I saw some patches of sunlight in the distance. These were taken at the other end of the village. Mild temperature for January.

Cold gold

2011-12-09T15:38:00.001Z

Lovely gold sunset after a sunny but chilly day.

Half moon and cumulus fractus

2011-12-02T16:50:00.001Z

The clouds were tinted by the setting sun.

Winter's here

2011-12-01T20:42:00.001Z

It's been windy lately, stripping the last of the leaves off the trees. A farmer has been along this hedge with a machine that cut all the summer's growth of brush, so you can see through it. The sun shone for a bit, but it was mostly grey. Some rain, but not enough. They said on the news that we need a lot more.

October sky after rain

2011-10-26T19:39:00.000+01:00

Just so's you know I'm still cloud-spotting, but not so often. Must get back into the habit.

The light reflected from the setting sun glowed orange.

Not much activity

2011-07-05T12:52:00.000+01:00

If you've visited lately, you'll have noticed that this blog hasn't been updated for a while. Sorry about that. There will be fewer photos because many of them would more or less duplicate what's been posted earlier. I'll be posting stuff that's a bit unusual from time to time, so come back and check now and then.

2011-04-18T21:01:00.000+01:00

The remains of some stratocumulus undulatus on a fine sunny afternoon.

2010-11-15T22:23:00.002Z

About 10.45am, with the sun shining through a layer of altocumulus stratiformis. You can just make out a sundog (circled) and some colour to the top left of the sun, part of a halo.

Bands of altocumulus tinted by the setting sun.

Altocumulus lit from underneath, very dramatic.

Taken from outside the village, looking west.

From the same vantage point, facing north west.

Back in the village, a layer of mist crept across the playing field.

2010-11-13T23:45:00.003Z

At about 11.30am, the sky was full of various cirrus clouds with contrails adding to the general confusion. There was a patch of cirrocumulus (the grainy-looking cloud in the last photo) to the south. Within half an hour or so, it was all hidden by an invading layer of stratus (see bottom right of the 2nd photo), and the sky turned grey.

2010-11-11T21:44:00.000Z

The end of another wet day.

2010-11-09T18:33:00.001Z

After a couple of days of grey skies, wind and rain, a beam of sunlight suddenly shone through my window at about 4 o'clock. Had to go to the other end of the village for an unrestricted view of the last of it, at sunset.

2010-11-07T22:41:00.000Z

The formless cloud trailing upwards appears to be the remains of a cumulonimbus cloud, after the rain, above a layer of stratocumulus. It was sunny but cold.

2010-11-06T19:28:00.001Z

The setting sun illuminated this bank of cumulus congestus in the distance. A panorama made from two photos, stitched together - the cloud was too big to get into one photo.

2010-11-04T22:44:00.000Z

In the Co-op, the women at the till commented, "Oh! Look at that sky!" It was lovely, with altocumulus stratiformis lit from below by the setting sun. I had an armful of shopping so instead of capturing it then, I drove to a friend's and rushed into her garden, but the best had gone. She kindly took the camera upstairs (my knees wouldn't allow me to go up there) and took this photo out of a bedroom window.

2010-11-03T00:34:00.001Z

Bright start to the day, with cirrocumulus stratiformis (the ripple effect), at high altitude and few patches of cumulus fractus lower down.

2010-11-02T20:27:00.011Z

The sun did its best to shine through a thin layer of altostratus translucidus this afternoon, but this is as far as it got. This is formed from a descending layer of cirrostratus.

2010-10-30T22:44:00.006+01:00

The day started with cirrostratus and the moon still high,. Later, cumulus came and went. During the afternoon there were lots of cirrus clouds, some in extraordinary shapes, like the squiggle that drifted slowly north east, stretching as it went.

2010-10-29T18:25:00.001+01:00

A fine day. Taken from my office window - a fleet of cumulus mediocris sail across the sky, below a layer of cirrus.

2010-10-27T22:14:00.000+01:00

I took these photos of the same patch of sky at one minute intervals this afternoon, to show how fast the clouds were moving. There was lots of cumulus and glimpses of cirrus through the gaps.

2010-10-25T23:09:00.000+01:00

A fine day that got chillier late afternoon, when I took this. Just a few scraps of cumulus fractus here and there, and this single line of cumulus mediocris radiatus, parallel to the horizon (and the wind direction).

2010-10-24T23:19:00.001+01:00

There was a lot going on in the sky this afternoon, some of it colourful. In one direction (to the north east), a faint rainbow. In the opposite direction, a sundog.

You can just see the base of the rainbow near the house in the first picture, in the edge of some receding nimbostratus. The sundog wasn't very bright either.

2010-10-23T22:11:00.016+01:00

Today's weather forecast was "heavy rain", and there was a lot of stratus later on. These photos were taken during a dry spell at about 4-ish. I noticed this cumulonimbus cloud from my back gate but couldn't get a clear view as it was partially hidden by buildings, though I changed my vantage point several times. It was several miles north and the photos are deceptive because it's a huge cloud (they can reach very high elevations), though this one certainly wasn't one of the biggest. As it swelled up, the top became fibrous, as it turned to ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. If I'd had the car out, I might have gone to get some better shots.

Looking south easterly, there were some interesting shapes in a mixture of cumulus and stratocumulus clouds.

2010-10-22T23:14:00.003+01:00

Very annoying - as I drove into town there were fat rolls of bright white stratocumulus undulatus overhead, but didn't have time to stop as I had an appointment. By the time I came back, they'd all gone. I hate it when that happens!

2010-10-21T22:08:00.002+01:00

At about 9 this morning, there was a sheet of cirrostratus (ice at high altitude) stretching over the house. It had disappeared less than an hour later.

2010-10-17T23:51:00.001+01:00

Some odd shaped cumulus clouds appeared amidst a thickening layer of stratocumulus towards the end of the day.

2010-09-25T23:47:00.003+01:00

A rainy day in shades of grey.

2010-09-21T22:40:00.002+01:00

A warm sunny day with fair weather cumulus humilis overhead. There were seagulls soaring in the thermals above my head - didn't have my zoom lens to get a better shot. The cloud in the middle photo looked a bit like a flying pig to me.

2010-09-16T21:25:00.002+01:00

A changeable sort of day that ended with a pastel-tinted sunset.

2010-09-11T23:47:00.004+01:00

A circumzenithal arc spotted over St. James's Park, London, at about tea-time - we were drinking tea when we spotted it.

If you look closely, you can see a second arc lower down. They're formed by light reflected from ice crystals in a cirrus cloud between 8 and 10 miles high.

For more on circumzenithal arcs, click here.

Here's one I saw over Suffolk four years ago.

2010-09-07T13:09:00.001+01:00

Just after noon, cumulus clouds started to build up into cumulus congestus cells, ready for more rain later.

2010-08-30T21:22:00.000+01:00

A bright sunny bank holiday afternoon, with lots of fair weather cumulus humilis in all directions.

Once upon a time I'd have taken off across the fields. Alas, no longer possible. The spirit is willing but the body's decrepit.

There was a pleasant warm breeze. The saplings by Manor Farm were being blown about under some cumulus fractus.

Later, I glanced out of the window and noticed this stratocumulus cumulogenitus, spreading out as the sun set.

2010-08-28T20:20:00.000+01:00

Peach tinted stratocumulus at dusk.

2010-08-27T20:31:00.000+01:00

Around tea-time, a few cumulus congentus clouds flattened out as the air currents changed, forming stratocumulus cumulogenitus.

This is a panorama formed by joining two photographs, so best seen large - just click on the picture.

2010-08-24T21:02:00.000+01:00

Late afternoon on a breezy day with showers - a break in the stratocumulus at a distance allowed a patch of bright cumulus to be seen. I thought it looked quite dramatic.

2010-08-23T23:16:00.000+01:00

This was taken with my phone in Ipswich, in a friend's garden. We were sitting in her conservatory when she commented on how fast these cumulus clouds were billowing up. Wish I'd had my camera with me.

The combine driver worked late last night to get this field cut before the rain came in the early morning.

A few fragments of cumulus humilis in the foreground, and on the horizon, cumulus congestus, coloured by the setting sun.

Butterfly and bobbles

2010-08-20T23:01:00.001+01:00

It wasn't until I looked closely at this shot of some stratocumulus cloudlets that I notice a high-flying butterfly.

2010-08-18T20:54:00.005+01:00

Late in the day, light and shade under a dark sky.

2010-08-15T22:52:00.000+01:00

Rather oppressive stratocumulus.

2010-08-14T22:44:00.000+01:00

At a high altitude, wavy sheets of cirrostratus. Lower down, cumulus humilis.

Bright white cumulus

2010-08-12T16:01:00.000+01:00

Some lovely cumulus clouds appeared between showers.

Rainy night clouds

2010-08-11T11:06:00.000+01:00

Taken through the car windscreen on the way home at the end of a wet day.

Hazy morning

2010-08-09T18:06:00.000+01:00

Not much blue sky to be seen this morning, though the sun was shining, because of a layer of cirrostratus. It cleared later.

Wet grey afternoon

2010-08-07T18:31:00.000+01:00

A little sunshine, followed by rain. Good for the garden but the clouds weren't very photogenic.

Breezy day

2010-08-02T21:43:00.001+01:00

Lots of cumulus today, and a pleasant breeze. It started to rain as I got home.

Cirrus overload

2010-07-29T20:07:00.000+01:00

Late in the day there were lots of cirrus clouds, of all shapes and sizes, and some altocumulus.

Mostly overcast

2010-07-28T19:26:00.000+01:00

A short break in the cloud this afternoon, so you could see a layer of cirrocumulus (the stippled effect) through a gap in the lower cumulus clouds.

A feint rainbow

2010-07-22T19:17:00.000+01:00

Hardly any sun so hardly any rainbow.

Rain at last

2010-07-22T18:01:00.002+01:00

It rained, but not for long enough.

The end of another dry day

2010-07-21T22:37:00.000+01:00

A layer of stratocumulus cleared a little late in the day, but still no rain.

Veiled cumulus

2010-07-18T20:27:00.000+01:00

Some clouds don't fit easily into any category, and this is one of them. This cumulus humilis cloud appears to have a cap, or pileus, of frozen moist air over the top. Pileus clouds are usually seen over high cumulus congestus clouds. It also resembles a lenticular cloud - there were several small lenticular clouds to the east - but if it is, it must have travelled some distance as they're usually formed over hills, and the only hills around here aren't much more than mounds. Whatever you call it, you can see the layer of ice crystals on top.

Please rain!

2010-06-29T18:19:00.001+01:00

Lots of cumulus clouds and a few spits and spots, but the garden needs a good soak.

Hot June Day

2010-06-28T18:11:00.001+01:00

Very hot day. A layer of cirrostratus, and below it some cirrus and altocumulus.

April cumulus

2010-04-21T16:28:00.002+01:00

After days of clear blue sky - no contrails, thanks to the Icelandic volcano - today the clouds came back. They won't stay. The weather forecast for tomorrow, when I hope to see the Lyrid meteor shower from the comfort of my sun lounger in the garden, is "clear skies".

Cumulus clouds in spring, tra la!

2010-03-16T15:01:00.001Z

Cumulus clouds, 16 March 2010, originally uploaded by Sparrows' Friend.

Taken late morning.

Layers

2010-02-05T18:57:00.002Z

Layers, originally uploaded by Sparrows' Friend.

The first fine day for a while, and a mixture of clouds at different levels. More rain is forecast for tomorrow.

Winter sun

2010-01-03T19:28:00.000Z

Winter sun, originally uploaded by Sparrows' Friend.

Bitterly cold but bright sun, late afternoon.

New Year snow

2010-01-01T18:04:00.002Z

New Year snow, originally uploaded by Sparrows' Friend.

The cumulus congestus was about 20-25 miles away, towards the coast. It grew into a distinctive elongated anvil shape later, when the light wasn't good enough to get a decent image.

Post-Christmas clouds

2009-12-28T19:11:00.001Z

Season's Greetings from Suffolk

2009-12-23T13:17:00.001Z

At about midday today, fog and sunshine.

Wintery showers

2009-12-17T18:00:00.003Z

That bank of cloud on the left is full of snow. There have been several snow showers today, but it hasn't stuck.

Rainbow

2009-12-12T10:51:00.003Z

Weather forecast: sunny intervals.

December 8th

2009-12-08T15:41:00.007Z

No rain today. Judging from the cloud patterns, there were strong winds at high altitudes, though it wasn't windy at ground level.

The first photo shows the edge of a sheet of stratocumulus stratiformis.

In the second photo, the setting sun is reflected on the underside of a sheet of altocumulus. At the bottom of the sky, you can see virga falling from stratocumulus - the hook-shaped trails underneath the cloud.

Mixed picture

2009-11-29T18:46:00.002Z

After heavy rain last night, there was a lot of stratocumulus today - the edges of sheet of it seen here. Above it, scraps of white altocumulus floccus, whisked up by the wind. In the distance, over the coast, cumulus congestus.

Virga in November

2009-11-22T18:54:00.004Z

Altocumulus floccus clouds with virga (fallstreaks) trailing beneath on a wet Sunday. The streaks of rain dissipate before they reach the ground.

November sunset

2009-11-20T18:10:00.002Z

November sunset, originally uploaded by Sparrows' Friend.

At the end of a mostly overcast day, some blue sky at the edge of a layer of altostratus radiatus.

Late afternoon, early November

2009-11-03T17:02:00.004Z

The sky's changed rapidly all afternoon. This was at about four-ish.

Sunny October afternoon

2009-10-12T18:53:00.004+01:00

Hardly any rain for weeks, and a summery sky in October at Pin Mill, Suffolk.

From my window

2009-09-14T19:07:00.000+01:00

I looked up from my keyboard and spotted this through my office window.

Changeable weather

2009-09-01T18:58:00.001+01:00

Cumulus clouds, seen through a layer of cumulus fractus, catch the sun.

Sunny Bank Holiday

2009-08-31T23:52:00.002+01:00

Not many clouds today - they were almost all gone by the afternoon - but a few patches of cirrocumulus lacunosus earlier.

The sky blushed

2009-08-28T22:12:00.005+01:00

I just missed a rainbow but I caught this instead - light reflected from the sunset.

Haven't posted anything for ages - I'm aiming to get back into the habit.

It rained today

2009-03-27T20:40:00.001Z

Underneath

2009-03-26T20:00:00.000Z

I like the way that a setting sun illuminates clouds from underneath.

Another late afternoon sky

2009-03-09T00:19:00.002Z

Several heavy showers this afternoon, after a blustery sunny morning.

5.30pm, 4th March

2009-03-04T22:39:00.001Z

5.30pm, 4th March, originally uploaded by Sparrows' Friend.

Reflected light.

Reflected light at sunset

2009-03-04T17:52:00.005Z

Sometimes you need to look in the opposite direction at sunset. The reflected light shines through my east-facing windows as though it's morning on days like this.

Fine February day

2009-02-27T16:09:00.003Z

Saw my first bumblebee of the year today.

Before snow, altocumulus cumulogenitus

2009-02-01T23:55:00.001Z

Before snow, altocumulus cumulogenitus, originally uploaded by Sparrows' Friend.

Bitterly cold day. Bank of cloud to the east as snow arrives from Russia.

Scrap of colour

2009-01-19T16:19:00.003Z

The bottom of a rainbow, and a few cumulus clouds below a persistent layer of stratocumulus, late afternoon on a rainy day.

Frosty Fog

2009-01-09T16:29:00.001Z

Frosty Fog, originally uploaded by Sparrows' Friend.

Fog and a couple of days and night of hard frost decorate the trees. Fog is low level cloud.

Cirrocumulus lacunosus

2008-11-14T19:12:00.000Z

Dark pink sky at dusk

2008-11-14T19:00:00.000Z

A strange pink tinge to the stratocumulus at dusk. The foreground has been lit by flash.

Moon in the morning

2008-10-18T14:03:00.002+01:00

When I opened the curtains this morning there were clouds like surf on a beach. By the time I'd found a camera, this was all that was left.

Moonrise at sunset

2008-10-10T23:03:00.000+01:00

Apologies

2008-09-10T15:28:00.002+01:00

I've been distracted, but will start posting more cloud pictures soon.

Light and blue

2008-08-22T17:46:00.000+01:00

Two kinds of cumulus

2008-08-21T17:41:00.000+01:00

In the distance, cumulus congestus. In the foreground (top of the picture), cumulus humilis.

High winds

2008-08-12T17:33:00.001+01:00

Winds at high altitudes have whipped the cirrus this way and that.