NWMJ cool photo????

Did anybody see that cool photo that the "hummel-god" took of the fog/cloud rolling out of of the alpine basin???

where did it go? I cant find it. It has been replaced by another great photo...but with child in tow and wife impatiently waiting for this "awesome" photo..I could not find it.

Anybody know where to find it?

Lowell, thanks for posting the NWMJ link on "the other" tele-dog site.

Chris O'

I believe you'll find what you're looking for here:
www.cascadecrusades.org/hiking/ptarmigan...se/pt2006/pt2006.htm

John Scurlock has similar photos of the same phenomenon here:
www.pbase.com/nolock/image/53643359
www.pbase.com/nolock/image/53643358
www.pbase.com/nolock/image/53643357

Getting a chance to see it happen in person is among the many things on my list!

Trumpet Sailor,

Thanks for those links! Wow, how often does it do that? Is it predictable??

Those were close, but if you saw the Hummel photo, all thr rockis black, the sky and mtn tops were eggplant purple.

Still looking for the Hummel photo, I would like an 8x10 to laminate and have for my "3rd grade" class when I teach weather/water cycle/air pressure.

Pin'

You mean this picture?

It's still right at the top of Jason's feature article in the latest NWMJ:

www.mountaineers.org/NWMJ/07/071_Ptarmigan.html

Maybe you meant some other picture?

Thanks for those links!  Wow, how often does it do that?  Is it predictable??

Those cloud conditions happen quite frequently near the Cascade passes. It's very predictable.

In spring and summer, any time you have a marine layer with cloud tops above pass level you can get the "waterfall" effect as the marine air pours over the pass and the clouds dissipate on the drier east side. A forecast for "morning clouds and afternoon clearing" is what to look for. Watch the weather discussions for hints about on-shore flow. Visible wavelength satellite photos ( like this one ) often show marine cloud cover very clearly. But the clouds have to be thick enough to have tops above pass level. It helps to check the aviation reports (which give cloud levels) to verify this.

In winter, the pattern reverses. When you have persistent high pressure, cold stagnant air with fog often pools in central Washington, held back by the Cascades like water in a bathtub. The air flows over the passes and the clouds dissipate, this time on the warmer west side. You can often see this when driving toward Snoqualmie Pass from the west.

Jason's photo shows summertime flow (west to east). John's photos show wintertime flow (east to west).

===

Thinking about it a little more, you also want quite a strong temperature difference between the east and west side of the mountains. This is fairly common, but not universal. With a strong temperature difference, the cloudy layer will plunge downward as it encounters the warmer air on the other side, and the clouds will  dissipate more slowly, giving you the waterfall effect. If the temperature difference is too small, the clouds will just sort of break up on the drier side, and you won't have such a cool-looking effect.

Hi Chris and Lowell.

I always wondered how the waterfall effect occurs???

And Chris, send me your address and I'll ship you that photo in a 8x10.