I love to talk about the weather and I’ve come to realize that you do too; young, old, new Canadians, farmers, sailors, we all seem to have that in common.
I spend a fair amount of time talking with school-age kids about climate change and weather forecasting. (In Grade 5 in Nova Scotia, a weather unit is part of the curriculum.) But, yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking at a seniors’ luncheon in Halifax.
I was overjoyed to hear their weather stories and their anecdotes and was happy to answer some great questions about weather forecasting, past and future.
By the time the luncheon was over I was convinced, more than ever, that people are starting to look around and question things. That’s awesome.
Just the other day I received a great photo from Betty Rhodenizer.
Betty noticed an intriguing cloud pattern in the sky over Bridgewater, N.S., and wondered if it had a name; she thought perhaps it was a mackerel sky.
Well Betty, you were close. That cloud is in the same family of clouds. The clouds in the photo are altocumulus clouds. Grandma would refer to this as a “washboard sky,” and what’s a special sky without a rhyme?
Grandma says: “Washboard sky – not three days dry.”
Altocumulus clouds are mid-level clouds that often display visible rows or ripples, usually alternating with blue sky. These clouds are commonly found between weather systems and are a sign of approaching instability in the atmosphere. Two days after Betty snapped the photo, a weather system rolled in with snow.
Grandma comes through again!
- Have a question about the weather? Email [email protected].
- Read more Grandma Says columns.
Cindy Day is the chief meteorologist for SaltWire Network.
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