#2599 "Singleton Nocturne Cold Front"

#2599 "Singleton Nocturne Cold Front" 8x10

The winter storm foretold by #2598 "January Warm Frontal Sunset" had arrived and was on its way further out to the east. The cold front had arrived along with blustery westerly winds. Scraps of cumulus fractus were being shredded by those winds. Meanwhile higher level gravity waves were riding the cold frontal surface in the last light of of Sunday. 

The features that made this sunset worthy of being recorded in oils were the multiple dark lines of clouds which were also stretching perpendicular to the westerly winds. These cloud lines were almost parallel to the upper level gravity waves. The higher winds were backed a bit more to the southwest consistent with cold air advection. These cloud formations were deformation zones that form in the descending cold air behind the cold front. 

The accompanying graphic describes the process of the dry conveyor (DCB) belt deformation zones (DZ). These deformation zones (DCB-DZ) are analogous to those found in the warm conveyor belt. In the case of the dry conveyor belt deformation zone, the moisture is located on the other side of the line - ahead of the DZ. The dominate, companion swirls shaping the bowed line are located in the dry air. These intense swirls remain largely invisible without moisture elements to trace their motions. Remember that the deformation zone is actually more like a skin encasing an airmass like a nylon stocking. Deformation zone skins also enclose circulations. As a result, the deformation zones in the sky always surround an airmass but are most evident at the leading and trailing edges of the airmass. 

In addition, those chaotic shreds of cumulus fractus were actually aligned in streets parallel to the westerly low level winds. The turbulent streets are the atmospheric ocean equivalent of Langmuir streaks which were first described in water bodies. The science of fluids actually spans all media. So much to learn...

Singleton Lake was ice covered except for the fast water of Jim Day Rapids. The reflections of the sky were thus determined by the distribution of the ice and snow on the lake. The rippled reflections of the open water of Jim Day Rapids were dark since they reflected the night skies overhead. 

The interpretation of nature is always true if you honestly paint what you see even though you might not understand or appreciate it at the time. This skyscape was fun on a very smooth and slippery surface. These patterns occur at all scales in all fluids and it just requires natural curiosity to investigate them ... and paint them. 

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