Warmer Winter Sky

A bank of altocumulus clouds is illuminated by the setting sun around 5:05 PM, Saturday, February 12, 2011 in this view looking west over Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Winds were out of the south at this hour and temperatures registered just above 40 degrees F. Just two days earlier at this location, the mercury had dipped to a near-record low of -12 degrees F. Continued significant snow cover prevented temperatures of at least 10 degrees warmer than was attained on this day.