Category Archives: weather

  Guttation is NOT dew. Dew (condensation from vapour) would give no hint that the growing season had begun; guttation does. I have often marked the beginning of spring with a picture of guttation—to me the best indication that plants have … Continue reading →

  Today, I noticed an interesting variant on a familiar pattern while walking along the beach: snow distribution sculpted by infrared radiation. An unexpected dusting of snow overnight had set the stage for the patterns. Most people spend little time thinking … Continue reading →

  Myriad small columns of ice rise out of the ground. These are ice extrusions. Typically, these are seen when the daytime temperature is above 0C and the nighttime temperature is below. During daytime, water drains into the cavities within a porous … Continue reading →

  After first spotting frost flowers along the shore of Kootenay Lake in 2009, I had to wait five years for the next sighting. Now only a year later, I have seen them again. In fairness, I did not find … Continue reading →

  This is a reprise of my favourite weather images from 2014. Tomorrow, I will treat the year’s mammals, and on new-year’s eve, birds. Maybe once every winter or two, I get a decent shot of a steam devil. It … Continue reading →

  Christmas dawned white, but the white on this mountainside was neither snow nor frost; it was rime.  Yesterday’s dusting of snow was soon gone from trees. Then overnight, part of the ridge became white again, but only where a … Continue reading →

  The stunning beauty of bubbles in the ice of a frozen pond could cow a fantasy artist. The accompanying pictures were taken by Irina Peters and Doug Thorburn in the subalpine high above Kootenay Lake. Bubbles had formed in the ice … Continue reading →

  A delight of a lakeshore walk along a sandy beach is the occasional appearance of beach cusps: a natural rhythmic pattern of small cusps and bays. On the main website, I offer somewhat more spectacular views along with an … Continue reading →

  The recent cold outbreak has produced striking mirages on the Lake. The water being above freezing and the air being well below produces a large temperature gradient in the lowest few centimetres of air and a more gentle one a bit … Continue reading →