A Hazy Shade Of Winter

The southwest sky is painted with altocumulus undulatus clouds as the sun begins to disappear behind a hill and trees at Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa around 4:15 PM, Thursday, December 22, 2011. Sunset was at 4:38 PM. Winter solstice had arrived less than 24 hours earlier, at 11:30 PM CST on December 21. The lack of snow cover kept temperatures around freezing at this hour. (Compare this photo with "Winter Solstice Sky" from last December).