The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
-Psalm 19:1

Do you know that God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?
-Job 37:15



Thursday, July 10, 2008

Another round for Hurricane Bertha, truly the come-back kid!

Happy Sky Watch Friday!! It's post time!!! (Please visit our host, Tom's blog to participate in Sky Watch Fridays. So much fun!!! I highly recommend it!) This picture was taken in metro Atlanta, around Thanksgiving of 2006.This was a beautiful sunset that produced my first ever sundogs.

("A sun dog or sundog (scientific name parhelion, plural parhelia, for "beside the sun") is a common bright circular spot on a solar halo. It is an atmospheric optical phenomenon primarily associated with the reflection or refraction of sunlight by small ice crystals making up cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. Often, two sun dogs can be seen (one on each side of the sun) simultaneously.")
Here is a photograph of the sun dog from that day (basically a rainbow formed in the ice crystals in cirrus clouds)... I loved the contrails.
("Contrails or vapour trails are condensation trails and Artificial clouds made by the exhaust of aircraft engines or wingtip vortices which precipitate a stream of tiny ice crystals in moist, frigid upper air. However, vapour trails or contrails generated by engine exhaust are inevitably linked with typical fuel combustion pollutants.")
I loved the way the sky lit up with a golden color...
(Why are sunsets sometimes golden in color???? Far on the horizon, to the West, it is daylight. The distant clouds and dust create a diffuse white glow (Mie scattering) with all wavelengths of light. As the daylight travels east toward your eye, the blue hues are scattered toward to ground (Rayleigh scattering). Sun rays have to traverse long distances through the dense parts of the atmosphere until they reach the eye of the observer with the sun close to or even below the horizon. The traversed layer of the atmosphere is more than 30 times longer compared to the sun standing directly above the observer.The violets and blues are lost (they make the sky blue to the West of you). The light you see is missing the violets and blues... leaving you with various shades of yellows and reds.")~source
... and silhouetted the house.

Well, I was just studying the track of category 2 (expected to increase to category 3 soon) Hurricane Bertha. Looks like during the last couple of captures, she took more of a western track than the northwestern track she had been on. Many more westerward jumps like that could largely impact her interaction with Bermuda. The current forecast puts Hurricane Bertha to the east of Bermuda, but her westward movement during the last hour might change that. As it stands, she is a beautiful category 2 hurricane, with better looking symmetry as she works out some of the dry air that worked at her southern portion yesterday.
1100 PM AST WED JUL 09 2008

...BERTHA EXPECTED TO MOVE MORE SLOWLY BUT COULD REGAIN MAJOR HURRICANE STATUS...
Another round at category 3 is potentially in her future... crazy storm.

An update: 3:15PM Looking pretty-ful... again.Update 7/11 Hurricane Bertha still a category 1 hurricane... 12:45 pic...Looks like she's taking aim at Bermuda to me... What the heck is Bermuda doing out in the middle of the ocean anyhow?!

Have a lovely day!
~Dewdrop

49 comments:

  1. Bertha definitely has left a lot to be thought about for what is in store this season. Most models forecasting that wave coming off Africa to develop much lower in the ITCZ than Bertha was located. I doubt any CV storms will make it this far, but you never know. I'm more worried about some cut off low spinning up close to home and quickly doing a Bertha and going Cat 3 in 18hrs.

    SCM

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  2. It's already been an incredibly interesting. Now, Hurricane Bertha is back down to Cat. 1... she was looking so pretty-ful (that's Mini-Dew's word) until that dry slot filled in and ate right into near the center of her. Still, anything can happen with her. We'll see what happens with the next African wave . The quick to cat. 3 stuff is pretty frightening... remember last year's Cat. 5's though Dean and Felix. They went 5 in NO TIME! That is a really scary prospect.

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  3. Dew Drop: Very nice Sky capture for SWF. The sun is very explosive in this shot.

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  4. Thanks, fg! It was, wasn't it. I remember stopping for that shot. It was just gorgeous there!

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  5. Beautiful sunset, I love all of the things you pointed out about it. Thanks for the information on Bertha, I'm interested to see what path she ends up taking, hopefully everyone will stay safe.

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  6. Once upon a time there was this great and fantastic group of people who blogged and photographed … with a click, click here, a snap, snap there, all of them had a week to look upon the sky … day and night, by dusk or dawn, sunrise or sunset … and always there where great and fantastic photos to be seen when SKY WATCH was opened …

    I am one of those proud sky watchers and I really enjoy each and every one of the photos you show us. I really think you are a first class sky watcher!

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  7. Great Skywatch Friday! I am so glad that Tom hosts this. I get to see so many new places through the pictures of you guys! Have a great week!

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  8. Well Dew you did it again... another great picture and even greater writing and info..

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  9. POL, THANKS!

    Kim, glad you enjoyed it. I love anything weather, even the tame stuff. ;O) I think Bertha will be ok. Bermuda is very prepared for such weather.

    Quint, I am proud to be a part of it too. Thanks, you too!

    Michael, I am too! It's great to see the world through everyone else's eyes.

    Thanks, Tom. So sweet. Thanks for being our dedicated host. What an honor it is to be a part of this.

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  10. LOVE the explanation for why the sky turns yellow and red at sunset. Thank you!

    Congratulations for capturing a sun dog.

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  11. Nice shot, and a lot of information from you as usual, and i read every word,always learning something new !!

    Nice weekend to you
    from Norway.

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  12. YETG, I LOVE SUN DOGS!!! Glad I shared it all for you.

    Anemone, Thanks! Glad you learned from it... again. I am so glad you visited!

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  13. Love the colors and contrails, too!

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  14. The contrails certainly add to the interest in the image. Thank you for all the information. I did not know hardly any of that.

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  15. Louisse, thanks. I am always so fascinated by contrails.

    Julie, Glad you were able to learn from the post!

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  16. The golden hues are delightful. Very nice photo!

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  17. Bertha is handy with a paintbrush!

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  18. Sundog! I love that name for it. Your info is the best. Sundog is my new word of the day, but all I'm goig to get is rain.

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  19. Very cool shot! I love the colors!

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  20. This whole post is brilliant! Great visuals and a great read!

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  21. You know, I might be slow but I just don't see the dogs in those clouds... ;)

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  22. Wow, beautiful sunset!

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  23. Amazing color!
    I enjyed the "how and why" this week. I've been watching the sunsets and noticing when they change color - loved the lesson.

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  24. A wonderful and amazing shot of a dramatic sky. Happy SWF.

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  25. Perfect catch for SWF! Mine's up too hope you can drop by... Happy weekend!

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  26. Very few participants explain the clouds and other visual phenomena quite as thoroughly as you. Thanks

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  27. Thanks, Michele. I thought the same.

    Sandy, She certainly is! Bertha is pretty impressive.

    Babooshka, I hope you'll come back to the post and see the sun dog shot I added! Enjoy your rain.

    Neal, THANKS!

    Teresa, Thanks... me too.

    Gemma, Wow! Thanks a bunch, what a compliment!

    Beth, lol. You crack me up! Glad you didn't blow away!

    Dot, Thanks!

    Carletta, Glad to share the how and why. Glad you're able to apply it to your own sky. Sunsets never cease to amaze me.

    Suzanne, Thanks!

    PLO, Thanks! I did!

    Texican, You're welcome. Thanks for appreciating it!

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  28. Great sky watch post,very interresting!

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  29. I'll be able to explain the reason why the sunrise or sunset are yellow-orange-red colored. Thanks for the information.
    I'm not a specialist, but it was very interesting.
    Your pictures illustrate it well!

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  30. Thanks, Anne!

    Thanks, Catherine. Glad you enjoyed the explanation. I love knowing why, so I share it when I know it!

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  31. two great sunsets, nicely captured

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  32. Super photos, as usual, Ms. DewDrop! And, as usual from my visits to your posts, I've learned quite a few new things -- maybe even more than the daily two (new things) I strive for. Thanks for the interesting info.
    I don't have a Sky Watch photo posted this week, but wanted to visit anyway.
    Pat-An Arkansas Stamper

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  33. Hallo from North Norway. Last week I saw all Sky Watch Friday photos and they were all great, and I hope to see them all this week too. I love to travel around the world this way.

    Thanks for sharing your beautiful sky watch photos and have a great weekend!

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  34. Nice shots and beautiful colors!
    Have a nice weekend.

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  35. Excellent contrails and sundogs. Thanks for all the real info you have here.

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  36. Beautiful colors in your sky watch shot. We are still praying for rain here in Georgia 60 miles west of Atlanta.

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  37. Thanks for your visit to my SkyWatch Friday post, Dewdrop.

    I'm on the road and in the field doing another photo trip chasing the bloom of our Rosebay Rhododendron (white blossoms) in the northern area of the Southern Appalachian mountains, and with lodging that does not have the most reliable internet service. I won't be home again for a few more days yet, but I did finally develop and upload a few images to update my July 7 Rhododendron post.

    Sunrise this morning was a washout, literally, with locally heavy thunderstorms--looks like the rain won't ease up until later morning. Back from breakfast and it;s still stormy, so I wanted to try and get around to all who visited my SWF, and others too while I still have good internet access. So, please forgive this cut & paste with a small bit of personalization added--I do appreciate your visit and your comments.

    Very nice photos in your SWF post and the info on Bertha, of course. Too bad you don't live closer, otherwise I'd hire you a my private weather forecaster.

    Jim

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  38. Hello from Colorado. Nice colorful pictures. Thanks for sharing.

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  39. Great contribution to SWF, have a nice weekend.

    BTW
    I am in a photocontest this week too please vote for me...
    The picture is called * Himmelske farger*

    https://lagring.online.no/sections/competition/view.php?id=11&sortby=votes

    Thank you for helping me:)

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  40. Wow these are fantastic photos

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  41. Great photos. Storm watching is particularly interesting

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  42. Wow! These are amazing. I've never heard of sun dogs. This is so terrific.

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  43. Sundogs and beautiful hurricanes...only you, Dew! Awesome to see you today! Your next blog needs to explain micro-bursts because Scott and I have no idea what that means (we thought it was the little tingly crystals in toothpaste before now...)

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  44. Fascinating shots. Beautiful and informative about the sundogs. A great skywatch.

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  45. Lissa, Thanks.

    Pat, Thanks a bunch! Glad youj're exceeding your educational requisites through the blog world... especially in mine! Awesome! Thanks for the visit!

    AnneKa, Glad to travel with you!

    John, Thanks! It was terrific!

    Chrome, Thanks. Glad you like the real info!

    Andrea, I pray you get it!

    Jim, I'd be glad to contract those services for you! I love being people's private weather forecasters!

    Tommy, Hello from GA! Thanks and you're welcome. Love your fox photos. Poor guy's eye looked bad.

    Fugazi, Thanks. Good luck!

    Lilli, Thanks!

    Mo, Thanks. I think so too about the storm chasing.

    Annie, I know. One of a kind Dew. Great to see you!!! Enjoyed lunch tremendously! I will try to work in a write-up about microbursts soon. Until then, visit Alabama Mike's blog. He wrote one about the air show microburst recently. It's more than just tingly toothpaste. Sadly, the one in Alabama killed a boy.

    Cath, Thanks. Glad you liked the info.

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Dew comment, please...