Clouds on a Fence

Photographer: David Lynch
Summary Author: David Lynch

After a heavy rain soaked the railing on my deck, the sky cleared and it became very cold overnight. The morning sunshine hit the wet wood and a flurry of little clouds wafted from each cross member. Why? As the Sun heated the wet decking, warm humid air rose from it and immediately mixed with the colder ambient air. This cooled the warm air below its dew point and myriad small cloudlets swirled up from the wood. It looked like the wood was smoking, and ready to burst into flames. But in reality, the wood was cold to the touch. Photo taken near Los Angeles, California in early March of 2009.

Today marks the 9th anniversary of the Earth Science Picture of the Day.