Al's Photography Blog

Al's Photography Blog
Pikes Peak As Seen From Our House

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Stormy Skies

I know these aren't very good photos, but I want to show a different side of our skies today. To boast a little bit, we get around 300 sunny days a year in my area. This is because we're on the sheltered side of a major mountain range, so the mountains catch most of the weather. In the summer this can lead to thunderstorms building and moving over us, as I've shown in numerous other posts. And once in a while, the winds can turn around and force moisture against the mountains, leaving us in fog and low clouds. Here are some photos from a couple of weeks ago when this happened. The clouds always seem lower here since we're 7,500 feet (2.2 km) above sea level.
In the winter a weather pattern like this will occasionally drop as much as 4 feet of snow (over 100 cm) on our ridge in 24 hours; this might happen once every 5 years, but we'll get a number of falls in the 1 to 2 foot (30 to 60 cm) range each winter. But I'm happy to say that sunshine and boring sunsets like this one are much more common, even on days when a thunderstorm moves over.
For more photographs featuring the sky, visit the Skywatch Friday home page.

30 comments:

  1. Very dramatic photos, Al. Reminds me of storms over one of our largest mountain ranges in South Africa,the Drakensberg (Dragon's back) Thanks for sharing. Greetings from Jo (North Africa)

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  2. We do see those moody skies a lot more here in the northwest than where you live, but then the glorious sunsets/sunrises make up for it. These are superb captures, Al, as always! Have a great weekend!

    Sylvia

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  3. As Sylvia mentioned, these foggy photos could have been taken in Washington! I like your "boring" sunset! It's so clear and clean.

    Thank you for visiting and commenting! Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.

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  4. very moody, thanks for sharing & your comments on my blog

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  5. amazing how the weather can change so quickly from storm to beautiful sunset. if we were to get 4ft of snow in a 24hr period i don't know what i'd do. but, it certainly wouldn't be wasted as i love to go boogie boarding with my daughter. hope all is well. have a great day.

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  6. Some grumpy skies there! My sky was grumpy this week as well.

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  7. I'm jealous that you get 300 days of sun a year! That is way, way more than we get in Ontario where haze rules most of the summer.

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  8. Dramatic pictures the both first. And the third is gorgeous!

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  9. The skies look very moody, and the sunset is lovely.

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  10. We see these skies alot during storm season Al, they are always dramatic and eyecatching!

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  11. But it is skywatch even if the weather isn`t that good;) I like the picture with the grey skies:)

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  12. Hello Al
    mi piace molto l'ultima foto.
    Le immagini in ombra contro la luce del tramonto.
    bellissima.

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  13. sunsets are never boring :)

    enjoy the weekend.

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  14. Sounds as if you really appreciate the effects of your cloudy skies since you get so much sunshine.

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  15. I like the last shot, and I echo the sentiments of ewok1993.

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  16. You have indeed captured another "flavor" of sky...it isn't always pretty...sometimes it is just mysterious.

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  17. Beautiful and dramatic. Great shots. And my favourite is the last one.

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  18. We too are in the rain shadow of a mountain range, albeit a much lower one than yours. Though fabulous light effects are great, there is something comforting about fog and grey skies as well.

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  19. That is a nice description. You got some great dramatic sky pics.

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  20. What a difference a few hours can make when it comes to the sky! These are drama, for sure!

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  21. wow, awesome world we live in .. captured and shared .. thanks for this Al, I think I should go on living..lol..despite the storm...

    Hope you can drop by
    My SKYWATCH here

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  22. This is indeed SWF - I feel a coldness ;-)

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  23. Your last photo is an absolute treat! Gorgeous!

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  24. Beautiful dramatic skies here. Great shots.

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  25. Beautiful shots with stormy clouds. The last shot is awesome.

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  26. 300 sunny days??? I'll take it!
    & these grey skies are really pretty too.

    thanks for your nice comment about my doggy Priscilla. Thankfully, she is home recovering nicely!
    : )

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  27. breathtakingly beautiful especially the third one. so dramatic.

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  28. Those skies sure look threatening - but that sunset is beautiful!

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  29. Lovely photos of the sky! I like the contrast between them! :)

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