Sky Omens

Watching moving cloud patterns on the San Ysidro or Santa Rosa ranges has to be one of my favorite Borrego pastimes! One of the attributes, common to Neanderthals, and to us today most likely is the tendency to search the sky for omens. Intuitively, we think... time to hunker down - time to wander out and enjoy life - time to move to higher ground- time to move on...all are observations that must go back to prehistory. There are plenty of clues in the sky and, what better place to see the far reaches of overhead vistas than Borrego Springs!

As teenagers, do you remember days so perfect that you could look skyward and dream a thousand daydreams? A blue sky, a comfortable temperature and a gentle breeze are just clues that lead us to believe nothing terrible will befall us. On the other hand, dark skies, cold temperature and the sound of thunder gives us pause to consider our actions during any given day.

A farmer from Nebraska once told me, " Biscuit clouds mean it's going to hail! " We saw them during a Lake Powell vacation, hastily put up the canvas on our boat and watched it HAIL! That farmer made a believer of us. When we see bright blue skies and scattered fluffy white clouds, we predict the weather will be fine. When we see high "herring bone" patterns in the sky, we look for a change of weather.

Lately, we have had our share of "flying saucer clouds", and by now, every Borregan knows what THAT means...WIND. So, put down shade umbrellas, move patio chairs to shelter, lock gates and prepare to wait it out...at least until more favorable signs appear overhead!

UFO = Could be a lenticular cloud
Biscuits in the sky = mammatiform clouds ( look for them under a thunderhead )
Thunderhead = cumulonimbus cloud...it may have an anvil.
High squiggles (herringbone pattern) = cirrocumulus clouds.
Cotton puffs in the sky= fair weather = cumulus clouds