Dear WeatherCat observers of the seasons turning,
The Winter Solstice is upon us. It won't be happening in California until 2pm tomorrow, but some of you might have already crossed that line. Here is a list of when the Solstice is happening for cities all over the world:
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20181221T2223&msg=December%20Solstice%202018As has become my custom, I decided to try to capture some scenes bringing the feel to the changing season. Here is a photo of wispy clouds behind a birch tree:
In Winter skies are rarely completely clear even when the weather is benefiting from a high pressure ridge. Of course there are some contradictions in California. In many places it looks more like Spring than Winter:
It never gets so cold that grasses can't grow. Now that the ground is wet, the grasses make a start even if there isn't much sunlight for growth.
Of course, there are some dramatic skies to be seen:
Between storms the cloud cover can vary widely. We have had a lot of fog and low clouds which have contributed to cold temperatures and a very gloomy feel. This photo captures that effect extremely well:
While I took the photo for a Buick forum, the contrast between the shiny paint and bare tree and neglected structures really capture the feel of Winter in California.
Of course in coastal California snow isn't a very likely occurrence. Can someone contribute some photos a white solstice for some contrast?
Cheers, Edouard