The forecast for the next five days shows rain and snow likely every day. If you are planning to visit the Mono Basin, pack a raincoat and a change of socks, as we will hopefully be getting some precipitation at last. And don’t worry—storm clouds make the basin even more dramatic and beautiful than usual.

Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

The clouds in the Mono Basin are varied and allow for a fun sport—cloud watching. If you are in the basin this week, see how many different clouds you can see and identify. The saucer shaped clouds in the picture above are called lenticular clouds. Lenticular clouds frequently occur in the skies over Mono Lake before a storm.

Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

A Sierra wave is a particular kind of lenticular cloud that occurs in the Sierra, especially during the summer months. The picture above shows the undulating pattern that is typical of a Sierra wave.

Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

Cumulus clouds, as shown in the picture above, are usually puffy and can also indicate stormy weather ahead.

Photo by Rosanne Catron.

Cirrus clouds on the Parker Lake trail. Cirrus clouds are characterized by long, wispy strands of white or greyish cloud.

Photo by Rosanne Catron.

No matter the time of year, the Mono Basin offers excellent opportunities for looking skyward to learn about the different kinds of storm clouds.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 13th, 2012 at 1:29 pm and is filed under Photos, Recent Photos, Staff Musings. You can view One Response on this post or leave your own response if you log in.