Sunny intervals

A shapeless sort of sky. No clear cumulus heaps or pretty cirrus curls. Just blobs.

Man-made clouds

The only clouds in a clear cold sky today were contrails, the condensation trails left by aircraft exhaust gases turned to ice crystals at high altitudes. They're evidence of the pollution of our skies by aircraft. For three days after 9/11, all commercial flights over the US were grounded. The exhaust fumes containing water, carbon dioxide, oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, unburned fuel and particles of soot and metal were dispersed. The difference between daytime and night-time temperatures was greater than normal, showing that contrails, which can spread into sheets of persistent cirrus, have a warming blanket effect.

For another contrail picture, click on the thumbnail (right).

Bright sunshine, but chilly

After several grey days, at last some sunshine.

Busy sky

To make up for the lack of anything but grey recently, two pictures in one day.

Grey wet day

It rained today. I stayed indoors. Didn't take any photos so here's one I prepared earlier.

Not much of a sunny interval

Just before sunset there was a break in the clouds.

Still grey

Took this from the car on the way home on another murky afternoon.

The forecast for tomorrow is "sunny intervals".

Ditto

I refer you to yesterday's picture; nothing's changed. You could go and look at my Flickr pictures - see link on the right.

Wednesgreyday

Slaving over a hot keyboard all day, I've barely glanced out of the window but each time it was the same; stratocumulus. This was taken at about 6 pm. I had to get the telegraph pole in so the camera had something to focus on.

Can't quite make up its mind

The weather, that is. At bedtime last night it was pitch dark outside but the stratus cleared overnight and I woke to a clear blue sky. Since then, a few cumulus humilis have been hanging around, waiting for their mates, and now they're all joining up and forming proper cumulus heaps.

More greyness

About 4.30 pm the same day, from the hill above Hadleigh, looking north west. My nose was cold.

Wet blanket

Stratus - a low, soggy layer that's so dull I had to put the teasel in the picture so you'd have something more interesting to look at.

It's a stay indoors and eat cake sort of day (not that I need an excuse), but I have to go out.

A cumulus humilis sort of day

Clear blue sky this morning. A few scattered fair weather cumulus later on. Lots of people out walking in the Sunday sun.

Cumulus humilis, with raggedy edges, come and go in less than ten minutes, drifting about in a lackadaisical sort of way. The blurry bits underneath indicate some precipitation, but it quickly evaporates.

Cirrus

Cirrus, originally uploaded by Sparrows' Friend.

There were lots of trails and hooks in the sky a few days ago.

These clouds were named by Luke Howard, who thought they looked like a lock of child's hair. Cirrus is the Latin name for a curl.

Stratocumulus, early afternoon

A changeable sky. As the clouds broke up, the sun punctured them in dramatic bursts. Later in the day there were scattered cumulus.

Low stratus, evening sun

Cumulus in the distance.

Cirrus in all directions

The sky was covered in cirrus clouds wherever you looked. Cirrus is formed of ice crystals at a high altitude. The wispy shapes stream in high winds.

Evening cumulus with moon

If this had sound effects, you'd hear owls and a blackbird.