Dawn Asperitas
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Ian has been good enough to post a pic I sent in of a recent Asperitas Event . The event was in the sky over Red Mountain and to the north The McDowell Mtns, both more hills than mountains. But they cause some fun events. I had a difficult time deciding which one pic to send to Ian. I promised myself I could post in the forum any shots that i still felt were good enough to share.
These shots were taken just as the sun was breaching the horizon. So the lighting was low angel creating some neat colors. The clouds were low and fast moving as well. I see A.G. Martin also was taking pics of a very early morning Asperitas ( posted in todays Gallery pics). Its a unique experience to know that there is Asperitas going on but not enough light to photograph it properly. Patience! I consider my self lucky that the event timed itself on the positive side of sun up.
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Thank You All For Your Kind Words! Hygge , you have picked out the one thing that ..well..im not bragging here..I am saying what follows in the vein of ..theres a change going on. Its more than fair share Hygge..I’ve noted over the last few years that the Phoenix skies are visited by Asperitas perhaps once a quarter up to once every 6 weeks. During Monsoon season I actually see few, very few Asperitas. Here is the change..The photo I sent in and Ian posted in the gallery a day or two ago,,was photographed Jan 23,2017. Looking at my Photographic Records…I shot Asperitas Jan 19,,Jan 20,,Jan 22 as well as Jan23.. The shot below was taken in the afternoon on Jan 22..I also have Asperitas ( mixed with Holmboe Phenomena)shots dated Jan 13 2017 and Dec 30 2016 ! Just about when I get to processing the shots of a event an even better one comes along. So,,the idea of fair share,,needs to be re-thought. I’ve got a lot of Asperitas pics no one has seen.
Maybe..its like Andy K and his Owens Valley Lenticulars. The flat desert at the bottom of the pacific trough sweeping in and across ,creates conditions where alls it takes are the low hills east and north to trigger Asperitas. The East Valley with the McDowell and Usury mtns ( Hills) seem to be good spawning grounds for Asperitas.. A majority of my photo sessions with Asperitas have been in the East Valley. With a little El Nino effect Asperitas flourishes…??..We’ll see. Weather predictions are calling for good chances of rain Saturday and Sunday.
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Keelin below is a shot I took on Jan 19 2017 across the street from work ( East Valley). I saw all the signs of an event then looked almost straight up and there were the Waves. Wonderment!
Some times I think I hear Asperitas, a faint woosh. Maybe its just excitement of witnessing such a cool natural phenomena.
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You are lucky Michael, with so much Asperitas events. I counted 1 last year (more or less) and a handful occasions in 2015. Every occasion special although maybe not that specific for spectacular views. In every occasion strange waves and curves in the clouds. I look forward to a new occasion this year.
So I say: keep listening to the whisper of it. I love those large wavy arcs over a landscape you captured.
By the way: I am curious for your pictures of the Holmboe Phenomena. I know you posted one picture of Lenticularis with the Holmboe phenomenon some time ago on the gallery. It caught my eye and got interested so I searched for information about the phenomenon. I hope once to spot it myself. There is so much to enjoy in the sky.
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The Holmboe..is just another instability, somewhat related to K-H in the physics of it all. The pic below was taken Jan13 2017 as a unstable system flowed in and out of the valley. Asperitas was happening nearby at the same time.Two layers of differing temp and thus amount of moisture rub into each other and a equilibrium is sought. The pic shows a simplified version of the stages in seeking equilibrium. On the left is the initial wave creating between differences. In the center is the classic ,,what I call ” beauty point” of the phenomena. and on the right is the ” explosive” radical destabilization,,dispersing differences until all is equal.
Again, I think due to the speed systems whip thru the Upper Sonoran Desert here, a careful eye will catch the phenomena related to sheer, instability and the speed itself. Its difficult for me to remember a system coming thru that did Not have undulatus of some sort. Undulatus is brought to us by wind sheer. It seems to me ,so is Asperitas. K-H seems more organized and sedate compared to Holmboe but both are manifestation of differences between layers as is sheer. Even the weird and wonderful Horseshoe Vortex..as hygge put it..more than my fair share. The down side is..These fantastics happen fast and are gone quickly. Most of the time, If I don’t have a camera in my hand, I won’t bother trying to get a pic of a special event. As with Asperitas, I’ve noticed an increase in sightings of Holmboe. Its hard to say theres also been an increase in K-H since like Undulatus, just about every system racing thru, a careful eye will observe K-H.
The price for this? Chunks of time with no clouds at all. Some years ago we broke a record ,,108 (?) days with no rain. Not necessarily without out clouds but you get the idea. On average, between March and July’s Monsoon, we go around 2 weeks with blue sky, maybe a little less., before clouds find their way into the valley. I’ve been in the Valley since 1979. I’ve only seen Fog here twice. I’ve seen Holmboe a lot more than fog.
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Thank you Michael for your extensive explanation and the beautiful example you added of Holmboe instability. Great picture. Surreality is everywhere in reality.
How different circumstances can be. I can’t complain about the frequency of fog (i.e. a lot) over here. Our weather is dominated by the presence of the North Sea. So a mild kind of weather results, neither cold nor hot, and lots of clouds. The price of this? Often water on our heads.
I remember looking for the Holmboe phenomenon some time ago when I found your post on the gallery (April, 18 2016). I started a topic Eruption and posted a picture that would fit nicely in the ‘Black and White Thread’. It shows an eruption-like cloud structure in all kinds of grey. In retrospect I now suppose it might have been Holmboe instability. In that case it was my first spotting of the phenomenon (and until now the last). What do you think?
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Hans,, I’d say it is Holmboe Instability. The fascinating thing is the other waves and surges besides a main prominence. According to computer simulations the jostling of the whole area ( layer) should be evident,again the physics of finding equilibrium. Below is another Jan 13 2017 pic. This time some lenticular get the Holmboe treatment.
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Many thanks Michael. Again you posted a great picture of the phenomenon.
I am a bit proud now of my black and white impression (although in fact in color) being aware that this was the only time I saw it without knowing what phenomenon I saw. These shapes really fascinate me. They are truly photogenic.
I googled some time ago to find a lot of information about it, … and googling again at the very moment of writing this post I find a link to what appears to be a former forum topic in which I find to my surprise that at that time you already posted a lot of pictures and information about the phenomenon. I remember now having read it before with great interest.
Really fascinating pictures you posted, Michael. Love them!
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