National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Thunderstorms and Excessive Rainfall in the Mid-Atlantic; Heat and Fire Weather Concerns in the West

Scattered strong to severe storms, excessive rainfall, and flooding are expected across parts of the Mid-Atlantic into the Northeast today. Flood Watches are in effect. Heat will continue to impact the West today. Heat advisories are in effect for portions of the Intermountain West; and Extreme Heat Warnings are in effect for portions of Arizona and southeast California. Read More >

Noctilucent Clouds

On the morning of October 28th,rare noctilucent clouds were visible over Monterey. Noctilucent clouds are thin silvery-blue cirrus-like clouds frequently seen during summer twilight conditions at high latitudes (above 50°) in both hemispheres. These clouds are primarily composed of ice crystals at heights 50-70 miles above the earth's surface. (source) However, the clouds seen this morning were formed by the launch of the NPOESS Preparatory Project spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Below are two images of the noctilucent clouds.

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