#2344 "Singleton Spring Altocumulus Sunrise"

The sunrise colours do not last long. Those shades of rose were fleeting at best. The pronounced gravity waves in the high based sheet of altocumulus told the weather story. The diagonal break in the cloud revealed that there were two different layers of cloud. The altocumulus overhead was based near 14 thousand feet above the surface. I do not have a ceilometer but checked the observation from Kingston Airport. This deck of cloud was likely on the cold side of the deformation zone. The higher deck of cirrus to the west was catching the sunrise rays.

This cirrus was the leading edge of the warm conveyor belt moisture with the approaching spring storm. Both cloud decks were drifting toward the south so this placed the col in the deformation zone further to the north. The approaching rain would be heavier to the north as well. The Kingston Observer even reported some virga which was consistent with the anticyclonic swirl with that portion of the warm conveyor belt.

The sunrise light was bright enough to illuminate the white cottages on the western shore of Singleton. Ice was still filling the west basin of the lake. The dark forest on that shore was reflected in the calm waters of the lake but not on the rotten ice. That ice would soon be break up and be gone. We thought we saw a loon scouting out the lake for sufficient open water to land and take-off again. Loons require a bit of a runway.

The work that trained weather observers do cannot be replaced by a machine although I like the old SA code much better. CYGK 261200Z 18009KT 15SM BKN140 BKN240 03/02 A2995 RMK AC7CI1 CI TR VIRGA SLP146

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