Backlit By Moon

The moon, one day before full, provides a back light and creates a silhouette of my roof-mounted weather station around 8:48 PM, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. This image is a combination shot of the moon and the foreground. The moon was shot at 1/2000 second, f/5.6 and 2000 ISO. The foreground is a 1/6 second exposure at f/5.6 and 320 ISO. Both images had a focal length of 200mm. This image looks east from Brentwood Drive NE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

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Dry Run Creek Runneth Over

Following rainfall of around 4 inches in just over 24 hours on Thursday, April 18, 2013, many area rivers and tributaries overflowed their banks, including Dry Run Creek at Boyson Park in Marion, Iowa, near its border with Cedar Rapids. The top two images, taken around 4:25 PM on April 18, show fast moving water as seen from on and beside a foot bridge at the park. The bottom image, shot about ten minutes later, shows the trail head located about 50 yards from the parking lot off Boyson Road. Barricades were quickly erected to close the trails as water levels rose over publicly used areas.

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Hiking Hiatus

Hiking along the Boyson Park Trail (top image) in Marion, Iowa was certainly out of the question late Thursday afternoon on April 18, 2013. Flood waters from the ironically named Dry Run Creek overflowed its banks and inundated a large area around it, including the park's trails. The middle image shows a nearly isolated foot bridge as high water rushes past it. The bottom image shows the extent of the water's reach as seen from alongside Boyson Road. Heavy and continuous rain contributed to flooding of the area's rivers and creeks, forcing water levels at this location second highest only to the June 12, 2008 event. Our house, about a quarter-mile away, received about 3.75 inches of rain in a little over 24 hours.

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Heavenly Crown

Resembling a large glowing crown, cirrus "rays" seem to emanate from a sun halo as it rises in the east around 7:18 AM, Sunday, April 7, 2013. This view looks over our roof from our backyard in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Air temperature was 35 degrees F with 100% humidity.

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