Panhandle Sunsets

Dalhart Weather Review
By Aaron Graves

A lot has happened since this article appeared in "The County Times Two" newsletter yesterday. The expected winter blast mentioned in the article below did hit, with snow falling in Dalhart today. A total of 1.5" was reported to the National Weather Service office in Amarillo. More on the snow next week...

iPad snapshot of an amazing sunset in Dalhart last week by Mandolin Graves

Dalhart residents were treated to a couple of amazing sunsets during the past week. Hopefully you got to see them. If you did, did you notice that the colors reached their peak after the sun had fully set?

I learned this fact a couple of years ago. A late afternoon thunderstorm had moved on to the east, trailing behind it a sky full of high mammatus clouds. I waited near an open field for the sun to sink low in expectation of an amazing sunset. But as the sun made its way down, nothing happened. The eastern sky remained a dull gray. 

As the top of the sun’s orb slipped below the horizon, I packed up my camera and got in my car, disappointed. I made a U-turn on the highway and gave one last, regretful glance to the eastern sky as I drove away. To my surprise, it had exploded with color. 

Turns out, the curve of the earth combines with air quality and a cloud’s height to make a spectacular sunset, or sunrise for that matter, according to an article by Stephen F. Corfidi of the Storm Prediction Center. The article was originally printed in “Weatherwise” Magazine in the mid 90s, but was recently updated on the National Weather Service website. 

In short, once the sun sinks below the horizon, we are viewing its rays at an angle. These rays have been scattered by small atmospheric particles, so that we are seeing mainly the orange and red wavelengths. These rays reflect off higher based clouds and produce the vivid sunsets. 

“Some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets feature solid decks of middle or high clouds that cover the entire sky except for a narrow clear strip near the horizon,” Corfidi writes. Clouds that are too low will not do the trick. 

Air free of large dust particles and other pollutants help make for brilliant colors. Thus, late fall and winter are usually when we see the best sunsets. In addition, higher-based clouds needed to reflect the sunlight are usually associated with a passing weather disturbance. “When viewed at sunrise,” Corfidi continues, “a sky of this type implies that the weather is likely to deteriorate as the mid- and upper-level moisture continues eastward. At sunset, of course, the opposite is true, hence the saying ‘Red sky at night, traveler's delight; Red sky in morning, traveler take warning.’”

Here is a link to the entire paper. It is worth the read. http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/corfidi/sunset/

WINTER RETURNS: “Old Man Winter will give us all a slap in the face on Thursday,” reads the forecast discussion from the National Weather Service office in Amarillo. Dalhart’s high on Thursday will stay below well freezing after a strong cold front blows through. Likewise, the overnight low will plummet below 10 degrees. A 20% chance of light snow is in the forecast, with little accumulation expected. 

However, the effect of the cold front will be short-lived. For this weekend, the high on Friday will climb back into the mid 40s, and then back to 60 by Sunday. Overnight lows will return to the mid 20s. 

Remember, though, that this article is written a day in advance of the newsletter, so this forecast is dated. Please keep an eye on the weather as we approach Thursday by logging onto www.weather.gov. 

The cold front will briefly interrupt a second week of pleasant, almost spring-like weather. Last Sunday’s high reached 69 degrees, with calm winds and clear skies. We did have a couple of blustery days, with winds gusting near 40 mph. 

Snow geese flying overhead at Lake Rita Blanca

BIRD REPORT: The warmer temps have thawed out Lake Rita Blanca, allowing the geese and ducks to once again congregate on its surface. A large group of Northern Pintail ducks were spotted near the dam. At the boat ramp, Mallards and Wigeons dominate, along with white Snow Geese, which seem to be more numerous than the darker Canadian Geese. A flock of Red-winged Black Birds also made an appearance. 

We enjoyed a warm Sunday afternoon by the boat ramp, where a group of Snow Geese came up to the shore and just stayed put. Most Snow Geese are white with black wing tips, but there are some with darker coloring on their body and wings. These were once thought to be a separate species called the “Blue Goose”, but are now considered a “blue morph” of the Snow Goose. 

"Blue morph" snow goose

Around town, grackles, pigeons, doves, House Sparrows, and the occasional Northern Flicker woodpecker are common. These birds are seen year round.   

To talk weather and birds, you can reach me at thirtyguitars@yahoo.com. Please follow me and check out more photographs on Facebook at “Dalhart Cloud Chasing” or on Google Plus at “Aaron Graves (Dalhart Cloud Chasing)”. 

Hi and low temps the past week

Jan 13: 56, 20
Jan 14: 46, 21
Jan 15: 55, 17
Jan 16: 51, 28
Jan 17: 54, 15
Jan 18: 61, 23
Jan 19: 69, 23