Under Western Skies

Over the next couple of days I have decided to talk about the weather.  Well not just that its been raining or sunny or snowy...but how to forecast whats on the way by whats in the sky.  To be a little more specific I'm talking clouds.  Not the big fluffy Dinosaurs or Unicorns but cirrus,stratus,cumulus,nimbus and all of there cousins.  Its a little bit of a lost art form but if you know what your looking for you don't even need a barometer.

  Clouds can basically be broken up into layers.  Certain cloud types will always be in certain layers of the atmosphere and will foretell specific weather almost all of the time.  At the top of the atmosphere we find Cirrus clouds.  They tend to hang out anywhere between 16,000 to 43,000 feet.

There are a few types
Cirrus
Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus


Cirrus clouds, also known as Mares tails because they look like horse tails swishing in the breeze.  These are a tell tail sign of fair weather and a low chance of precipitation.  Just remember  (mare's are fair)


Cirrostratus clouds are high in the atmosphere and some refer to them as Mackerel sides.  If you use your imagination they kind of look like the scaled side of a fish.  They usually are layered and cover a good portion of the sky you are able to see.  If you see this formation be prepared for a change in the weather within 12 to 24 hours  precipitation is on the way.


Cirrocumulus clouds are also high in the atmosphere but are usually floating by themselves.  They are fluffy but you can see through them.  None of these types of clouds block the sun.  Cirrocumulous clouds usually foretell good weather.


Remember that the wind could be going a different direction up there so even if they are traveling west to east, which here in the U.S. is the norm, the wind could be very different on the ground!


Stay tuned and see you UNDER WESTERN SKIES!
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