#2653 "Swell April Sunset at Singleton"

#2653 "Swell April Sunset at Singleton"
18x22 inches oil

The sunset clouds approaching Singleton were classic and I felt that the weather story needed to be saved in oils. The sun had set below the horizon and the clouds were no longer on fire with the light. Science makes sense in the atmospheric ocean. 

The anticyclonic companion of the warm conveyor belt is typically the first to reach Singleton in advance of a storm. Those bands of cirrostratus in the sunset sky that were parallel to the leading deformation zone, were actually swells in the atmospheric ocean. Those large gravity waves were originating from the centre of the storm far to the west over Iowa. The sunset clouds that I painted were within the blue circle on the right side of the accompanying graphic. 

Gravity waves embedded within these swells revealed that the atmospheric frame winds were nearly perpendicular to the much larger swells. The entire pattern was shifting toward the south as I watched. The col in the deformation zone pattern had to be far to the north. 

Water Vapour Image of the Sunset

All of the atmospheric puzzle pieces fit snuggly together. Tornadoes and severe weather was occurring far to the west while I painted in relative calm. 

I used the word "swell" in a puny way to denote all possible meanings. As a noun "swell" means a full or gently rounded shape or form; a gradual increase in sound, amount, or intensity or the gravity wave propagating far from the energy source that generated it. As an adjective something that looks swell, also looks excellent. Swell as an adverb describes that the sunset was proceeding very well. Swell as a verb describes something becoming larger or rounder in size, typically as a result of an accumulation of fluid. Language can be very interesting. 

Jet flights to Europe were getting started. At least three contrails crossed the sunset sky. 

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