We’ve finally got a change in the weather coming in, an expected forty degree (F) drop between last Wednesday and next Wednesday. There’s a cut-off low headed down the coast from the northwest to bring us this change. At its forefront at sunset tonight there were layers of high, wispy, icy clouds.
With all of the fires south of here, which are fortunately dying down and getting under control with the cooler weather and calmer winds, there are health warnings all over SoCal about air quality hazards. One of the few good things from these fires is that we can get some spectacular sunsets, caused by the smoke and particulates in the atmosphere.
Between the wispy clouds and the smoke, I was hoping for a spectacular sunset.
Didn’t happen.
The smoke is generally blowing out to sea to the west of San Diego, while from our house we’re watching the sun set way over Ventura and Santa Barbara, 200 miles to the north of where the bulk of the smoke is. So, no joy on the pinks and oranges and reds. I hope the folks in Sandy Ago got a colorful sunset, even if I didn’t.
But while I was waiting, I could see that conditions above 30,000 feet must have been cold and calm, perfect for the formation of contrails from jets at cruising altitude. That part of the sky is a regular jetway for the jumbo jets heading from the Pacific Northwest down to Mexico and South America.
Several contrails looked hours old, having spread out quite a bit, but still keeping their straight line forms, almost parallel but not quite. Others were much thinner, just ten or fifteen minutes old. And like beads on a string, separated by five minutes and fifty miles or so, jets just passing by now were drawing new, razor sharp lines. All on a background of lacy, wispy swirls of clouds in a darkening sky.
It was lovely.
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 