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, October 22, 2009

We want the weather!!!

SKY WATCH FRIDAY time! Welcome all sky fans!!! I might not have time to respond to you, but I will try my best to visit!!!

Our hosts: Klaus Sandy Sylvia Wren Louise Fishing Guy

Thanks, also,to Dot and Tom, who were instrumental in the success of this blogging event. You should definitely come fly with us!In honor of our secondary severe weather season, which occurs in fall here, I have posted one of the better and more ominous looking shelf clouds that I have experienced here. I was leaving work one day, when I spotted this very low to the ground cloud structure approaching my location. This is a shelf cloud, and generally their bark is worse than their bite, as was the case with this one. They can carry with them downburst potential and outflow winds which could actually result in straight line wind damage, but they are not typically an area where we would see tornadoes, gustnadoes, yes, tornadoes... no. They do, however, warn of the potential danger. If you see such a feature, you should take it as your warning to seek shelter indoors. Wind, rain, lightning, hail and tornadoes could follow.

Locally, we have already had one round of severe weather this season, but as the season wears on, and the battle between summer and winter becomes more intense, we should see more. Today, the slight risk for severe weather exists in Louisiana and Mississippi with a tornado watch already presenting itself covering most of Louisiana (feel free to click on the graphic here for updates). It should mostly only amount to some thunderstorms by the time it makes its way over here. Interestingly, the storm working its way across the southern states are, in part, the remnants of once category 5 Hurricane Rick from the eastern Pacific. Tropical Storm Rick made landfall in Mexico and traveled across Texas dropping buckets of rain on the now quite water-logged areas.
Of course, moisture feed off the Gulf of Mexico has now merged with the now remnant low to make a severe weather event in the south. Incidentally, there are two areas being watched in the Atlantic basin with a low likelihood of development. Hurricane season is not over yet, folks.

Aside from all that, I would like to briefly get on my soapbox (once again) regarding the ridiculousness of the Weather Channel (TWC). TWC has decided that they need to break from their dying traditional of simply showing (GASP!) the weather, and have decided that for some reason their viewing are tuning in for weather movies. They have decided to start airing Friday night movies.... link. I am outraged by the continued effort to turn TWC into "just another stupid station", because at this time it is one of the only channels I watch. I like the quick look at what's going on with the "Local on the 8's". I like the weather updates round the clock. I love the "Tropical Updates". I enjoy their radar, their tornado warning notices... the stories about weather related events, impact and recovery... but their increasing "need" to expand the length of programming with their "When Weather Changed History" or "Storm Stories"... or worse yet, the preposterous "Wake Up With Al" morning TALK SHOW!!! What are these programmers thinking?! Weather people! We are tuning in for weather, and if that goes away, SO DO WE! Get your heads out of the money tree and back into the clouds where they belong!

Off soapbox,
~Dewdrop

41 comments:

  1. Now I know the name, shelf clouds.
    Thank you for the info Dew.
    Regards. Have a great week.

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  2. I know how ridiculous that sounds, movies on TWC. I don't like it either.

    The same way that I don't like it when they started playing movies (about travel) on Travel Channel.

    Next thing you know they'd be showing movies on EWTN (or do they already?)

    Anyway, thanks for sharing info about the shelf cloud. I've seen that driving around Arizona and my husband and I were really fascinated but didn't know what it actually was.

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  3. Another nice photo with a good story:-)
    No doubt, you have an exciting job:-)

    Greetings
    Robert.

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  4. well done with the picture cheers XXX Don

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  5. I agree with you that weather stations should continue to do what they are good at _ talk about the weather!

    So we are into the secondary season? Interesting!

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  6. Your posts and photographs are always so interesting. Happy skywatching and storm chasing.

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  7. Terrific shot! I love the shelf cloud and glad to learn it's name! Thanks! And, I feel the same way about what's happening to the Weather Channel!! Couldn't agree more! Great post, Dewdrop!

    Enjoy your weekend!

    Sylvia

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  8. Very dramatic, yet worrying photos. Please take care.

    Hope you will have a nice weekend.

    Alexander
    Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

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  9. Nice shot...I'm glad to learn about shelf clouds...I have seen them before but didn't know what they were. This blog is always interesting.

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  10. Great shot. Ours here also promise but seldom deliver.

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  11. so like the shelf cloud capture. i have seen these in our area...they are very interesting.
    our skies have been a mix. today we woke up to a lovely pink sky.
    have a fab weekend.

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  12. that's interesting info about a shelf cloud........for some reason I may have taken a photo of one? Just don't remember when!

    Gill in Canada

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  13. Wow, look at the low weather, makes me want to duck my head!

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  14. Great shot of the low cloud, looks very gloomy. Thanks for sharing Dewdrop:)

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  15. Excellent post and awesome photo!!
    Happy SWF

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  16. Great photo of clouds!Have a nice weekend!

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  17. I agree, I tune in for the weather and have been tuning out alot lately. I guess it is cheaper for them to just keep running the same old "specials" over and over.
    When we are at our mountain home it is important for us to know what is comming, we have no local chanels, just Direct TV.

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  18. Great shot for SWF, also a good text icluded!!!

    Have a nice SWF.

    Eric, Holland

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  19. Fantastic as always, that first pic is outstanding.

    All the best
    Guy
    Regina In Pictures

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  20. How well I know shelf clouds, being in Tornado Alley. We just got 4" of rain from the remnants of Rick.

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  21. Awesome photo of the shelf clouds. Thanks for sharing.

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  22. Great post tonight ... We've had shelf clouds in our area and straight line winds as well... When they happened a few years ago, it looked like dinosaurs walked through the area!
    Lots of trees and shrubs looked trampled upon!
    Great images!
    A lovely weekend to you~ Maria

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  23. Ominous looks clouds and mist. I love watching thunderstorms roll in.

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  24. Thank you for the lovely post, and the photo and info on the shelf clouds.

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  25. I don't think I've ever seen a good shelf cloud in person, but pictures like this make me really want to!

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  26. Great shots !! Wonder its haze or cloud .

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  27. Great shots !! Wonder its haze or cloud .

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  28. oh, that looks so weird, but beautiful in its threat! what a great capture!

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  29. so this is a shelf cloud, quite dense! I think we have had these around here lately.
    Spirithelpers

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  30. This is a great shot
    nice to seen him!
    Gr.
    P-TER

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  31. Dew. Soapbox. I agree with you. :) Great stuff, it gave me a laugh this morning. Thanks.

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  32. Great shot of that shelf cloud Dewdrop.
    I have photographed a shelf cloud a couple of times, but it is impressive every time again.
    Enjoy your weekend!

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  33. Love this photo i have seen this one other time, thanks for giving me the name of it. I keep telling my son to visit your blog as he is going for his helicopter license and says he has to learn all the cloud names and weather stuff.

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  34. Very dramatic clouds. I never knew that they were called 'Shelf Clouds'. You are a mine of info about the weather. Thank you !!

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  35. Awesome! And I got something for you, too!
    http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/10/the-weirdest-clouds-that-youll-ever-see/

    Cheers, Klaus

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  36. I never knew about "shelf clouds" and their stormbringer capacity. Oddly, it looks like the peaceful fog that flows low over the hills in the San Francisco (CA) Bay area - but that brings nothing but damp. Thank you for the information!

    Soapbox away about the weather channel, I think it is silly too. There is always the Weather Underground, wunderground.com, last time I looked they were not running movies....

    http://threeriversdailyphoto.blogspot.com

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  37. you're right...they're quite ominous...

    mine's here: http://threelittlefeats.blogspot.com/2009/10/skywatch-friday-season-4-episode-15.html

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  38. do you really chase storms? have you seen those twisters? god, u must have an exciting life! How was it the first time you chased one??? sorry, so curious.

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Dew comment, please...