Wildly Colorful "Inversion Sunset" in Vermont

In the late autumn and winter in Vermont, some of the best sunsets come when there's a weather inversion, which is relatively common in the cold season.

The colorful sunset southwest of St. Albans,
 Vermont Sunday evening

An inversion is when it's colder in the valleys than in the mountains, which is the opposite of the usual arrangement.

The pic in this post, taken late this Sunday afternoon, shows what happens sometimes during an inversion.

(As always, click on the pick to make it nice and big and get a good view)

The high thin clouds lit up by the setting sun are a sign of warm air moving in high up above us. It's hazy in the valleys: Smoke and moisture are trapped in the low spots by the warm air above.

At sunset, the high clouds and the haze combine to create a wonderful burst of color during what can be a blah time of year.