Clouds of the Day - Sunday, July 19, 2020

Blue sky is the canvas, clouds are the medium, and the wind is the artist.

The chaotic sky in these photos feature Cirrus, altocumlus, and and contrails (condensation trails).

The photos above were all taken on Sunday, July 19, 2020 from Cedar Falls, Iowa. The photos all show cirrus, altocumulus, and at least one contrail (condensation trail. Condensation trails are water vapor, a by-product of burning jet fuel, condensing out as water droplets or ice crystals in the cold atmosphere. The aircraft are usually flying above 30,000 feet as they fly-over Iowa. How cold is it up there? In the heat of summer temperatures are about -20 degrees C which is -4 F. Water vapor and ice crystals can co-exist at temperatures below freezing until temperatures reach -40 F (-40 C). That’s not a typo - -40 C and -40 F is correct!