Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

Between near blizzard conditions on Sunday, the Geminid Meteor Shower on Monday and sub freezing temperatures resulting in heavy hoar frost along the shores of any unfrozen body of water, the past few days have been opportunistic to say the least. Beginning with Sunday, I headed up towards Clinton IL to check out the snowfall. On the way a large "shelf" appeared on the NW horizon which I immediately recognized as the cold front boundary approaching. The first pic does no justice as I was driving and could only get what you see. Upon passage, it got dark just like a warm weather event and on the backside, the "whale's mouth" aspect was apparent though I chose quotes as the structure was much more subdued than what one might expect. The wind would kick in full force not long after during which I shot video. The 40 MPH gusts and biting cold made for a very intense and worthwhile experience.

















Click HERE for video from this day that features the intense wind as well as numerous snow vortexes which spun up due to the extreme gusts.

By Monday night, the winds had calmed somewhat but in the wake of the storm, an intense cold settled over the region. With temperatures in the single digits and wind chill values in the negative, I pointed a camera up to try and catch a few Geminid meteors. Instead of stand outside like a fool though, with camera off and in continuous mode I focused, taped down the shutter button, flipped the switch on and went back inside. Leaving the camera to do its thing for 12-24 minute intervals, the following star trail compilations are from each batch. Highlighting for you the meteors that I was fortunate to catch, I guess five out six pictures with scores is doing alright. A seventh batch that didn't work out for not being in focus was omitted. In the brief periods I was outside, I lost count of how many I saw including a few long grazers that naturally did not pass in front of the camera. By far one of the most impressive meteor displays I have ever witnessed.













After sunrise I had some time to kill so I headed down by the Sangamon river to see if there was any freezing fog. Unfrozen water in subfreezing cold often produces the best frost. Though not an epic event, my hunch verified and I did find a few patches of large crystals. The single crystals towards the end were about the size of a nickel and tree just seemed like a good idea at the time.