Thunderheads #SkywatchFriday

Where I live in the Southern Tier of New York, it has been a stormy week.  But we've escaped a lot of the severe weather that the central and western part of the state has experienced in the last few days.

As of last night, we've had 18 confirmed tornadoes so far in New York State since the beginning of the year.  

I took these pictures on August 27.  

Thunderheads.

Let's zoom in.  

Pinkish sky right before sunset, taken through trees.  Sorry for the blur.

Tuesday and Wednesday we had on and off torrential rain.  We got at least four inches, and my spouse and I were caught in one of the downpours trying to get to an appointment.  A bit over an hour away, the New York State Fair had to close because of flooding. 

Our storms Wednesday night came after sunset, and I wasn't going to go out there at 10pm with lightning flashing and lighting up the sky.

Hoping for better weather for all in September.  

Joining with Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday. 

Three Colors of the Sky #SkywatchFriday

A quiet post today showing the different moods and colors of our sky. 

After sunset August 21. 

Peaceful park scene August 23.  Spouse and I had spotted a bald eagle but weren't able to take a picture with it visible.

August 25, storm clouds.  This picture was taken in color.

Watching the every-changing sky is a beautiful pursuit, never ending, never boring.

Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.

Last Week Variety Pack #SkywatchFriday

Here are some random photos from the last week.

Variety of clouds. 

Framed puffy clouds. 

 I don't usually see a long streamer of clouds with little choppy waves. 

Peaceful park scene complete with an egret in the bottom half.  You have to have great vision to see the egret.

Building with sky reflections in the second floor windows. (Sorry about the fogginess; I was taking this picture through a dirty bus window.)

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers today for #SkywatchFriday. 

Battle of Bennington Skies #SkywatchFriday

Bennington Battle Day is a state holiday in Vermont.  It commemorates an important Revolutionary War battle fought on  August 16, 1777. The actual battle was fought on a farm in Walloomsac, New York, which is about 10 miles (16 km) from Bennington.

On August 13, 2022, we went to a battle reenactment held in Hoosick Falls, New York.  There, I took a picture of an encampment under a partially cloudy sky.

Before the battle, we were able to visit the camps of those reenacting participants of both sides, British/Germans vs. Patriots (we would call them Americans today), in addition to about 100 Native Americans.

(If you are interested in the details of the battle, you can find information here.)

This year is our 250th birthday, and I could wish to be in Bennington this weekend but, alas, I won't be able to.

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.

Puddles, Mural and Skies #SkywatchFriday

After the rains of last week where I live in the Southern Tier of New York, we cooled down a little but the past three days we returned to the heat and humidity.

July 30, puddles on the road after a deluge.

August 5, hot weather sky and a mural in a Southern Tier downtown.

August 6, mid day skies taken at same time in two different directions.

Yesterday, the weather report called for afternoon and evening thunderstorms. They passed to the north of us, but I took these pictures right before it started to drizzle.

Joining Yogi and other skywatching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday

Two Sides of the Sky #SkywatchFriday

On Wednesday, our area got a lot of rain.  We broke a rainfall record where I live in the Southern Tier of New York, but it was nothing compared to the Hudson Valley of New York.  Our state capitol, Albany, received almost seven inches (17.78 cm) of rain, in two days, and many roads and areas were flooded.

Meanwhile, yesterday, we had intermittent rain showers.

It was interesting, if you faced different directions, the sky looked so different.

This was so much like a winter sky - this is a color picture, not B&W.

Now turn around and see the mostly blue sky.

Well, the mostly blue sky.

Joining Yogi and other sky watchers for #SkywatchFriday.

 

 

 

 

 

Puddle Before and After #SkywatchFriday

 It's been a while since I've posted puddle pictures, maybe because it's been a while since I've seen a puddle.

But these aren't just any puddles.

Last week, we, along with a lot of the United States, were dealing with bad air from wildfires.  But help was on the way July 18, in the form of a powerful cold front that brought rain, wind, and a possible F1 tornado to our area.  My neighborhood wasn't that impacted (except for small branches down) and s we were a lot more fortunate than many.  So, here are two puddles, one rain apart.

After rain number one, during which the bad air was still greatly impacting us, I was mystified to see a puddle with strange white bubbles.  Here is a picture.  You can barely see the sky, over to the left, as it is still so clogged with the bad air.

What is that white stuff?  Its residues from the wildfire smoke, brought down by the rain. When the rainwater hits the ground (so I've read), the water combines with oil from the road, breaking surface tension and resulting in that white stuff.

After the second rainfall, with better air behind it, I went out and took this picture.  Finally, we could see clouds again.

So much better!

I don't think I've ever had a puddle before and after.

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers today for #SkywatchFriday.  You'll note the URL for the linkup is different - Yogi had to use a different website and hopefully, the linky will work.

Have a good week ahead. 

Here We Go Again #SkywatchFriday

Like so much of the United States, our skies for the last two days have been blanketed by wildfire smoke.

 I missed photographing the sunrises and sunsets.  Wednesday, especially, I didn't even want to go out there.  The sky looked yellow (at least it didn't look red) and it smelled like a campfire.  Someone told me the Thursday sunrise was nice and red.  I was sleeping at the time.

Thursday, around 8pm, I took this picture.   I'm thankful that it wasn't bright orange like it was for so many people in the Northeast.

I hope we can return to this kind of sky soon. 

Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday. 

Saturday In The Park #SkywatchFriday

On July 4, my country (the United States) turned 250 and my spouse and I decided to have a quiet day.

We didn't go to any live fireworks shows.  We sat back, watched TV, had a simple dinner, and watched the sky.

Except for the last photo, these were all taken during a walk at a local park. 

I went out again about 9:10 pm.

A bit surprisingly, we didn't have as many unofficial (as I call them) neighborhood fireworks shows., but the vanishing light after the sun sent down created layers of beauty.

 It was a nice Saturday In the Park.

Joining Yogi and other sky watchers for #SkywatchFriday. 

Before the Heat #SkywatchFriday

We are in the midst of a heatwave where I live in the Southern Tier of New York.  We unofficially hit 100F (37.7C) yesterday (see below), with a heat index of 110F (43.3C). Ditto for July 1 and our heat index that time was 113F (45C). The last time we officially hit 100 degrees was August 26, 1948.  

So, I am not out there taking pictures.  But I was out there on June 24, enjoying a walk in the park.

I already long for those days.

Afternoon of July 2

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.

Tomorrow (my country's 250th birthday) it is supposed to be cooler but with a chance of rain.  For us, I think it's going to be quiet, but I don't mind.  I hope that all my American readers have a fantastic 4th of July.
 

Skies of the Last Full Week of June #SkywatchFriday

Here are some skies of the week just past from where I live in the Southern Tier of New York.

First, a selection of skies from the first day of summer:

 

Then, the weather changed.

Monday was rainy, and I took this picture of mist over our hills.

Thursday, it was cloudy and threatening rain, along with some interesting patterns.  It finally decided to drizzle in late afternoon. It finally rained.

We are heading into a heat wave next week, but in the meantime, I hope the terrible heat in Europe abates.  I hope you can all stay safe from this dangerous heat.

Joining Yogi and other bloggers who watch the sky for #SkywatchFriday.

A Sky Diary #SkywatchFriday

I kept a little sky diary of this past week.  Let's watch how the sky changes over four days where I live in the Southern Tier of New York.

Monday (June 15).  I had blogged a couple of weeks ago about the birds nest up against our eaves.  That bird is an American robin although it looks black and white.  I saw it in color, singing near the nest just before it flew off.  It probably didn't like me staring at it.

Tuesday, June 16.  You can just about see the robin sitting on the nest. Taken with an iPhone 13 mini, I don't have a telescopic lens for it. (Yes, I know they make them.  I just don't have one).  I have no idea why the bird looks black.

Earlier that day, the clouds looked like the bones of a creature.

 Later that day, the clouds turned puffy.  It was warm and humid.

Not shown, my spouse thought there was a fledgling robin sitting on the edge of the nest. 

Thursday was an interesting weather day.  It had rained some overnight, but wasn't raining by the time we started our day.

At an appointment, it was breezy and the flag was highlighted against clouds.  It started to rain a few minutes later.

When we got home, we found that we were under a tornado watch.  We ended up experiencing a thunderstorm with some brief but heavy showers, a few minutes apart. 

The rest of the afternoon, lovely skies alternated with brief rain showers.  And I saw a bird was still sitting on that nest (not shown).

Today is supposed to be a pleasant day.  What are you seeing in the sky today?

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.
 

 

After A Storm #SkywatchFriday

Last night and this afternoon, we had thunderstorms and brief deluges of rain where I live in the Southern Tier of New York State.

I was unable to get photos of the beautiful sunset we had last night but here are some pictures taken around 5:30 this evening once a humidity front came through.

Potholes are a hazard, but they also make for good puddle photos.

Here, a series of potholes reflect the sky and scenery (I know, hard to see).
 

The sky itself. 

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.