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Temperature Inversion: mist in the Lyth Valley and out to sea

18/12/2021

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PictureBurnbarrow Scar (left) with White Scar, Whitbarrow emerging to the right
A golden dawn with sunlit mist over the River Kent.    There was frost on vegetation. The moment I set out for Scout Scar the fog descended. Seeing mist lingering in valleys, I learnt from someone coming off Scout Scar that the Lyth Valley was filled with mist ' like a lake.'  Sun will quickly burn off mist, so I hurried to the escarpment to find some of my neighbours standing in awe and looking out upon a sea of mist. 'You feel you could walk over it.'  The mist hangs over frosty pastures down in the valley and rolls right out over the sea at Morecambe Bay. 

I set out in the chill of a frosty December morning, in a chilly fog.  Then the mist began to lift and through the morning a dome of blue sky appeared over Scout Scar and the temperature rose.  We found the scene enchanting and were glad to share the moment, far more than the moment as the mist lingered into the early afternoon. Chris pointed out a tree sunlit in swirling mist - he'd been watching the effect for a while. So over two days that tree appears in my images. 
The light was constantly changing and the mist thinned and dispersed, then rolled in once more.  The sun gleamed on fragments of limestone up on the ridge as the frost melted fast. Skeletons of winter trees loomed out of the mist, and vanished.   It was dazzling walking south with the low sun in my eyes,  high humidity steamed up my glasses every few seconds  and the cliff edge was rather a blur.  All in pursuit of one's art. 
 Today, the Lyth Valley held its pall of thick white mist that flowed out into Morecambe Bay until the afternoon.  The blaze of bright white mist was to the south, toward Morecambe Bay.  Looking north, higher up the valley, the mist assumes a bluish hue and fragmented, giving more colour to the scene. 
The weather forecast for the next day, Sunday 19th December, was similar.  There was a glorious bright moon and with clear skies temperatures fell and there was a hard frost.  Would there be another temperature inversion? They're rarely as good as today, so I had to be there. 
1 Comment
Helen
20/12/2021 06:29:48 am

Beautiful images that captured a remarkable and memorable scene. What a privilege it was to be there.

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    Jan Wiltshire is a nature writer living in Cumbria. She also explores islands and coast and the wildlife experience. (See Home and My Books.)

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