Noctilucent Clouds

Winter Hazards Across the North; Heavy Rainfall Across the Gulf Coast; Severe Weather Outlook

Moisture across the northern Plains, upper Great Lakes into northern New England will likely bring a period of snow, sleet and freezing rain through this weekend. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall continues along the Gulf Coast with areas of flooding. Fire weather conditions continue for the areas of the Plains, southern Appalachians into portions of Florida. Severe thunderstorm potential increasing. Read More >

Noctilucent Clouds

On the morning of October 28^th,rare noctilucent clouds were visible over Monterey. Noctilucent clouds are thin silvery-blue cirrus-like clouds frequently seen during summer twilight conditions at high latitudes (above 50°) in both hemispheres. These clouds are primarily composed of ice crystals at heights 50-70 miles above the earth's surface. (source) However, the clouds seen this morning were formed by the launch of the NPOESS Preparatory Project spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Below are two images of the noctilucent clouds.