Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Weird! Ominous! Beautiful!

Weird Frontal Cloud Formation
Monday found us on Bull Shoals Lake fishing--first trip out this year for me. Yes, we caught 4 respectable, but not 'keeper' bass.  But fishing is not the subject of this post.


A weather front was approaching from neighboring Oklahoma. We watched clouds slowly move into our area of Arkansas.  "Watching the weather" is a secondary occupation of fishermen, especially on large reservoirs, like Bull Shoals, which impounds over 45,000 acres and 700 miles of shoreline at power pool to 70,000 acres and 1000 shoreline miles at 690 ft. near top of the flood pool. 


Misjudging an approaching storm can lead to an inconvenient drenching, or more disastrous events.  Lightning strikes is very real danger to vessels on the water. Capsizing when the winds stir the water into white-capped waves is another hazard.


Weird Frontal Cloud Formation
However, this front was a very slow-moving storm. We returned to our boat stall about mid-morning.  As we returned home we noticed the looming cloud formations were unusual, not in the tornadic sense, but, well.....weird!


As we crossed Bull Shoals Dam, the clouds appeared as very neat layers, almost as if an artist had painted them! Come to think of it, a Great Artist did 'paint' them!


Because of construction/repair crews (your TARP dollars at work) and other restrictions on the Dam, I could not jump out of the car to capture the moment. I waited until we arrived home to capture the effect. By then the effect was not as dramatic, as the moment we crossed Bull Shoals Dam.


Local media received phone calls, alerting news reporters of the  unusual cloud pattern, and expressing anxiety of impending danger.  Indeed there was a short term weather alert of sky-to-ground lightning but nothing indicative of tornadic activity.


As the clouds passed over us, we received thunder, some lightning, and rain, generally a mundane weather event, except for the CLOUDS!

15 comments:

Lorna said...

That would have had me thinking about a Higher, Larger Power and wishing I'd been more actively good.

Virginia Mallon said...

Wow! what an amazing picture. I would have been very nervous too. It looks quite threatening.

faye said...

Stormy weather makes me nervous.
We live in the country and our
power will go out for no apparent
reason. After the last hurricane
and we were without power for a
week, we bought two generators.
Since then we haven't need them.
Good for me !!

Linda said...

The spring storms in Texas and Oklahoma are something else. I've seen nothing like it since I've been in Oregon. I very seldom hear thunder or see lighting. The rainbows here are absolutely gorgeous. Hail is pitiful, it looks like frozen rice is falling, and if it's "major" hail it's about the size of an English pea. I take great pleasure in telling these folks about the hail storms I've seen in Texas.

Arkansas Patti said...

Great shots. We had similar images posted in the local newspaper. They described them as "boiling" clouds. I missed them darn it.
"Come to think of it, a Great Artist did 'paint' them!" Loved that.

Sniffles and Smiles said...

If this isn't as dramatic as what you first saw, I can't even imagine how extraordinary it must have been!!! These are absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! And what incredible photos you have taken!!! You are so talented!! And yes, the great artist is the best!!! But these photos make me want to paint!!! Love you so much, Janine XO

Justabeachkat said...

I haven't been by in awhile so I've really enjoyed catching up with you. Your photos are amazing! Did you get a new camera?

Have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs,
Kat

Jeannette StG said...

wow, these clouds are "weird." By now, you probably know of the flashfloods in Arkansas and that several people are missing :(
Hope they're okay...

Dimple said...

Those certainly are unusual clouds! The weather has been unusual to scary many places this year...

Thanks for the visit last weekend; I was fishing with my hubby & didn't get around to visiting blogs much until today..

BTW, your garden looks promising, if you can keep Luckie out!

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Get to painting? Was that an invitation? If it was, you KNOW I can't resist!!! Love you so much!! Have a wonderful weekend!!! ~Janine XO

P.S. Will write soon...just a busy weekend ahead...:-) ~J.

Rosaria Williams said...

Reading clouds is a good thing. We used to know these signs. Good thing you got yourself out of danger.

Anonymous said...

Those clouds are fear mongering. I would look for a cellar.

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

I have never seen clouds like that. Definitely weird, but beautiful!

Pat - Arkansas said...

Saw the same cloud formations here, but as luck would have it, no camera at hand. Glad you got some photos. I've never seen anything quite like it. Wonders never cease!

flowerweaver said...

Does look just like the sky in Van Gogh's Starry Night! Very cool! We have some interesting and powerful storms in my part of Texas, too.