I walked down to the water the other day just after sunset to see what the clouds would look like. I was taking a picture here and there, and then I noticed this scene! Clouds were moving in from the northwest with virga underneath them. What a beautiful and amazing sight! What is virga? Virga are trails of precipitation that fall from the underside of a cloud but evaporate or sublime before it can reach the earth's surface. This happens when falling rain or ice passes through an area of dry or warm air. So I took a ton of photographs as it got darker and darker and then started up the hill toward home. I was half way up the hill when I realized that it was sprinkling. Duh! Well, virga are rain showers that don't reach the ground, until they do! I hid my camera under my jacket and managed to get home with only raindrops on me. Is this a stunning scene or what!
5 comments:
Absolutely beautiful!
Stunning photo. So many shades of blue and the clouds and rain. I had not heard the term Virga before, so another lesson learned today. Thank you.
Joan
I enjoyed dropping in on your graduate class of Meteorology today. I had never heard the word "Virga" before now. I always used the term "rain bands" to describe visible precipitation in the distance falling from clouds. Although, I like knowing the meaning of Virga, I am too attached to Rain Bands to change!
This photo is stunning! Absolutely fantastic. I also have never heard the term "Virga" before. Always learning something new :-) betsey
Beautiful photo! There is a lot of action going on with the rain, rippling water, the sunset but the photo is so calming and peaceful. The colors are magnificent. Trace
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