Changeable Weather at Port Orford, Oregon
February 07, 2010
Photographer: Randall Scholten
Summary Author: Randall Scholten; Jim Foster
The photo above shows a line of rough weather near the town of Port Orford, Oregon. Though the prevailing winds in southern Oregon, and all along the northwest coast of the U.S., are from a westerly direction, this line moved from onshore toward the sea – east to west. Squalls such as this can be triggered by a number of different disturbances, both large-scale and small-scale, including frontal systems, gravity waves, and gust fronts. Note the sea stacks in the foreground and in the background as well. The photo, reminiscent of certain paintings by the old masters, was taken on December 21, 2009.
Port Orford Coordinates: 42.749722, -124.498056
Earth Observatory images: