Noctilucent Clouds

Critical Fire Weather in the High Plains and Midwest; Heavy Snow in the Western Mountains and Northern Plains

Gusty winds and low relative humidity will bring critical fire weather to the central/southern High Plains and portions of the Midwest. Two Pacific storms will continue to bring heavy mountain snow and gusty winds to the western U.S. through Thursday. A swath of wintry weather, including heavy snow and a wintry mix, is expected from the Northern Plains to New England. 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.