Cold Morning Sunrise Glowing With Color

What a glorious cold morning sunrise today!

Temperatures have dropped over the last several days, enough that Cataloochee Ski next door has been making snow since Saturday (and they opened on Monday). The colder air is also very dry, chasing away our traditional haze that gives this area the name of the Great Smoky Mountains.

And, an easterly wind this morning has cleared the smoke from the wildfires south and west of us. Many days, the air has been quite thick with the smoke, but we are fortunate today of clear blue skies.

The end result was an absolutely gorgeous sunrise spreading its reds and oranges across a brilliant blue sky with just enough clouds to reflect the sun’s light. These photos are taken from the comfort of my own house, so I didn’t even have to brave the cold temperatures (cheating, I know).

As a reminder, you can click on any photograph to get a full screen view.