Location

The photo was taken in Las Vegas on February 2, 2019, at 8:30 am. The atmospheric features evident from the photo are the blue sky with low and relatively high-lying clouds. The sun that is up high the sky is also an atmospheric feature that can be identified from the photo.

Observation

            It is observed that the sky is blue and is lined with some clouds. The low-lying clouds, cumulus clouds can be seen on top of the mountains while the Cirrus clouds can also be observed up high on the sky. The sun is also visible in the sky. During this particular day, the sky remained clear for most parts of the day. As a result, the day was warmer and reported a temperature of approximately 11⁰c and a humidity of 38%. The movement of the wind during the day was also moderate reported by an average speed of 11km/h.

Interpretation

Different types of clouds are formed in the sky. The distance of the clouds and their shapes forms the major basis for their differentiation. In the photo taken, two types of clouds were observed cirrus and cumulus clouds. Cumulus clouds are low-lying clouds that are found approximately 2000 meters  from the earth surface. Cumulus clouds appear bright white when lit by the sunlight rays. Mostly, cumulus clouds are witnessed on a sunny day when the sky is clear. In this picture, the cumulus is observed near the mountain tops.

The cirrus clouds are observed at about an altitude of 6096 meters. These clouds are formed on a typical fair weather day, thus explaining their existence on this day (Means). The clouds show or come ahead of storms such that they can be used in forecasting rains and storms. The possibility of a storm occurring later in the day when the photo was taken is high.

The clear and blue sky is attributed to the absence of thick clouds on the atmosphere. Clouds are formed as a result of the condensation of the air molecules to form water droplets. This condensation can only be achieved when there is saturation of the air molecules such that cannot they cannot hold any more water. The limited clouds in the sky mean that the rate of condensation that day was lower. It can be attributed to the lack of attainment of saturation and low rate of water evaporation to get the water droplets on the atmosphere (Genio).  The absence of thick clouds on the sky gives an opportunity for the air molecules to scatter the blue light more than the red light from the sun. As a result, the sky is seen as blue.

Even though the light from the sun has many colors, it appears white when observed. The sun appears white because all the colors converge to release the white rays. This explains why the rays from the sun are seen as white.

Response to Classmate’s Post

The post starts out with a discussion of current weather conditions in Elko, NV. It then moves on to a detailed discussion of how storms and thunderstorms form. The paragraph describing the process is both accurate and engaging, availing interesting information to those unfamiliar with weather science. The author applies their theoretical knowledge to a real-life situation in northern Nevada and finished with a lovely thank you to the readers.