weather

Weather experts are gathering at the World Meteorological Organisation later this month to discuss ultra-short lasers as a promising tool for weather modulation and climate studies. Launching these lasers into the atmosphere could potentially control lightning and also assist in cloud production and rainfall. Researchers have begun testing the equipment outside, by firing short pulses of laser light at the sky.

Via Laughing Squid:

Last Thursday, December 11, 2014, the Grand Canyon was filled with a sea of fog in a stunningly beautiful and rare weather event. The fog was trapped in the canyon by warm air above in what is known as a total cloud inversion.

Peter Lowenstein captured this rare rainbow pileus cloud, which was later picked up by NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day.