Why No Blue Skies???? (Atlanta: live in, humidity, different)

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

L.A. has it's share of pollution and even more smog days than we do, but they also have the Pacific breeze that blows the stuff around and/or out from time to time hence, the "blue" skies. Atlanta has no such breeze and our summer hot/humid/smogged air gets "stagnant" from nonmovement. It settles over the city, so you'll see more discoloration from the sky than you may from other larger cities.

Winter, Spring and Fall...Atlanta's skies are as blue as anywhere...and I've been around.
Summer is another story...heat, high humidity, stagnant air and pollution do their bit to obliterate the blue, at least until a big front comes through and blows it all away.
But to say the sky is never blue in Atlanta? Oh, please...

[Scraper Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Winter, Spring and Fall...Atlanta's skies are as blue as anywhere...and I've been around.
Summer is another story...heat, high humidity, stagnant air and pollution do their bit to obliterate the blue, at least until a big front comes through and blows it all away.
But to say the sky is never blue in Atlanta? Oh, please...

I agree.

Only in summer is it really hazy and not a true blue. It's one of the least desirable aspects of summer in this region. However, Spring and Autumn are excellent, and really can't be beat.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Winter, Spring and Fall...Atlanta's skies are as blue as anywhere...and I've been around.
Summer is another story...heat, high humidity, stagnant air and pollution do their bit to obliterate the blue, at least until a big front comes through and blows it all away.
But to say the sky is never blue in Atlanta? Oh, please...

If you re-read what you quoted of my statement, I was placing the emphasis on Summer time, and I don't believe I said anywhere that Altlanta "never gets blue skies".

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

If you re-read what you quoted of my statement, I was placing the emphasis on Summer time, and I don't believe I said anywhere that Altlanta "never gets blue skies".

I was referring to the OP, not you Greg.

[TakeAhike]

LOL--Lately I've been very happy when the skies are overcast and rain is on the way.

[Lakers all day]

It depends on humidity. Anywhere from Dallas west you'll see deep blue cloudless skies more than days with clouds, even in winter most days will be a deep cloudless blue sky because Dallas isn't as humid as atlanta mostly because it's further from the Gulf of Mexico but past dallas it starts turning dry and desert and in L.A it may be coastal but water on the coast is a cold current and the air is colder and cold air doesn't carry humidity as good as warm air and that's why L.A isn't humid

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by jero

I'm no expert, but here's my opinion Not just Atlanta but most of the east coast does not have skies as clear blue as the west.

Pollution may be part of the problem. However, it's not the same as the LA smog that you describe, which is actually low-lying ozone caused by air being trapped in the valley between the San Gabriel Mtns and the ocean. This ozone smog burns off by midday and the result is still clear blue skies.

The east coast has lots of pollution from varying sources, not just greenhouse gases. This map shows the PH value of precipitation which is an indicator for acid deposition (acid rain)



The second reason I believe is due the eastern US (and especially the South) having high humidity. The color of the sky is due to the scattering of certain wavelegnths of light. If there is heavy moisture the water droplets will scatter the light in all directions (think of a cloudy day).

There have been a few rare times when I have seen the sky as brilliant blue as I've seen in the southwest, and that was on a day with extremely low humidity. So I think that's the best answer.

That map...since when was Dallas, Texas ever "temperate" during the summer??

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

That map...since when was Dallas, Texas ever "temperate" during the summer??

Since never. It's always HOT with moderate humidity.

That map isn't entirely accurate as it has hot and dry as far east as Corpus Christi and just south of Houston. Those places are still humid. Even out to Austin and San Antonio, though to a lesser degree. It doesn't start getting BONE DRY until West Texas, say around Fort Stockton and points west.

Anyway, this post was revived from.. 2008!? Geez. 6 years old.

[afdinatl]

Blue sky's = brown topography

Our trees and grass need those cloudy sky's (rain) to stay beautiful

[bryantm3]

i'm from atlanta, and i've been up and down the east coast, and the sky seems pretty similar everywhere. but when you start to go west, the sky gets really super blue. honestly it weirds me out a bit, and when it gets like that here in october it always makes me a bit sad. i like the sky the way it is, always with some clouds and with a pale blue colour. it just seems "right" to me.