20 Amazing Cloud Formations

11/29/13 20 Amazing Cloud Formations

www.snowaddiction.org/2013/09/20-amazing-cloud-formations.html 1/19

Saturday, September 28, 2013

3.1kLike Share 5

Clouds are formed in the Earth's atmosphere when water evaporates into vapor from

oceans, lakes, ponds, and even streams and rivers; and by evaporation or transpiration

over moist areas of Earth's land surface. The vapor rises up into co lder areas of

theatmosphere due to convective, orographic, or frontal lifting.

1.Mammatus clouds, Ft. Worth, TX

Photo: Lars Plougmann

Mammatus, also known as mammatocumulus (meaning "mammary cloud" or "breast

cloud"), is a meteorological term applied to a cellular pattern of pouches hanging

underneath the base of a cloud. The name mammatus, derived from the Latin mamma

(meaning "udder" or "breast"), refers to a resemblance between the characteristic shape of

20 Amazing Cloud Formations

Posted by Snow Addicted

http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http://www.snowaddiction.org/2013/09/20-amazing-cloud-formations.html

http://www.snowaddiction.org/search/?q=clouds

http://www.snowaddiction.org/search/?q=atmosphere

http://www.snowaddiction.org/search/?q=lake

http://www.snowaddiction.org/search/?q=atmosphere

http://www.flickr.com/photos/criminalintent/

http://www.snowaddiction.org/2013/09/20-amazing-cloud-formations.html



these clouds and the breast of a woman.

2.Lenticular cloud, Mt. Fuji, Japan

Lenticular clouds (Altocumulus lenticularis) are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at

high altitudes, normally aligned perpendicular to the wind direction. Lenticular clouds can be

separated into altocumulus standing lenticularis (ACSL), stratocumulus standing lenticular

(SCSL), and cirrocumulus standing lenticular (CCSL). Due to their shape, they have been

offered as an explanation for some Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sightings.

3.Asperatus formation, Canterbury, New Zealand

http://www.snowaddiction.org/search/?q=japan

http://www.snowaddiction.org/2013/09/lenticular-clouds-the-rare-cloud-formations-look-like-objects-from-another-world.html

http://www.snowaddiction.org/search/?q=new+zealand



Photo: wittap

Undulatus asperatus (or alternately, asperatus) is a cloud formation, proposed in 2009 as a

separate cloud classification by the founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society. If successful

it will be the first cloud formation added since cirrus intortus in 1951 to the International

Cloud Atlas of the World Meteorological Organization. The name translates approximately

as roughened or agitated waves.

4.Roll cloud hang glider, Queensland, Australia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wittap/

http://www.snowaddiction.org/search/label/australia?&max-results=8



Photo: Mark Watson

An arcus cloud is a low, horizontal cloud formation. Roll clouds and shelf clouds are the two

types of arcus clouds. A shelf cloud is usually associated with the leading edge of

thunderstorm outflow; roll clouds are usually formed by outflows of co ld air from sea

breezes or cold fronts in the absence of thunderstorms

5.Mammatus over Quebec, Canada

https://www.redbullillume.com/404.html

http://www.snowaddiction.org/search/?q=canada



Photo: Michel Filion






6.Shelf cloud, North Dakota

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike9alive/



Photo: Michael Carlson – Photography




breezes or cold fronts in the absence of thunderstorms.

7.Nacreous clouds, McMurdo Station, Antarctica

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelcarlsonphoto/

http://www.snowaddiction.org/search/?q=antarctica



Photo: Alan R. Light

Polar stratospheric clouds or PSCs, also known as nacreous clouds, are clouds in the winter

polar stratosphere at altitudes of 15,000–25,000 meters (49,000–82,000 ft). They are

implicated in the formation of ozone holes; their effects on ozone depletion arise because

they support chemical reactions that produce active chlorine which catalyzes ozone

destruction, and also because they remove gaseous nitric acid, perturbing nitrogen and

chlorine cycles in a way which increases ozone destruction.

8.Lenticulars, Mt. Rainier, Washington

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alan_light/



Photo: Tim Thompson






9.Cumulonimbus, Nelson, BC

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090203.html




Photo: Robert Neufeld

Cumulonimbus (Cb) is a towering vertical cloud (family D2) that is very tall, dense, and

involved in thunderstorms and other inclement weather. Cumulonimbus originates from

Latin: Cumulus “heap” and nimbus “cloud”. It is a result of atmospheric instability. These

clouds can form alone, in clusters, or along a cold front in a squall line. They can create

lightning and other dangerous severe weather. Cumulonimbus clouds form from cumulus

clouds (namely from cumulus congestus) and can further develop into a supercell, a severe

thunderstorm with special features.

10.Lenticular UFO, Patagonia

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0626890/bio

http://www.snowaddiction.org/search/?q=patagonia








11.Shelf cloud, Cape Cod, MA




Photo: Anthony Quintano





12.Altocumulus from the ISS

http://www.flickr.com/photos/quintanomedia/



Photo: Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and the Russian Space Agency Press Services

Altocumulus is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by globular masses or rolls in

layers or patches, the individual elements being larger and darker than those of

cirrocumulus and smaller than those of stratocumulus. Like other cumulus clouds,

altocumulus signifies convection. It is usually white or grey, and often occurs in sheets or

patches with wavy, rounded masses or rolls. A sheet of partially conjoined altocumulus

perlucidus is sometimes found preceding a weakening warm front, where the altostratus is

starting to fragment, resulting in patches of altocumulus perlucidus between the areas of

altostratus, or more rarely, an entire sky of the perlucidus variety.

13.Mammatus, Manhattan, New York City



Photo: Skellig2008






14.Noctilucent clouds over the Tibetan Plateau

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15546071@N04/



Photo: NASA Goddard Photo and Video

Night clouds or noctilucent clouds are tenuous cloud-like phenomena that are the “ragged-

edge” of a much brighter and pervasive polar cloud layer called polar mesospheric clouds in

the upper atmosphere, visible in a deep twilight. They are made of crystals of water ice.

Noctilucent roughly means night shining in Latin. They are most commonly observed in the

summer months at latitudes between 50° and 70° north and south of the equator. They

can only be observed when the Sun is below the horizon. They are the highest clouds in the

Earth’s atmosphere, located in the mesosphere at altitudes of around 76 to 85 kilometres

(47 to 53 mi). They are normally too faint to be seen, and are visible only when illuminated

by sunlight from below the horizon while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in the

Earth’s shadow. Noctilucent clouds are not fully understood and are a recently-discovered

meteorological phenomenon; there is no record of their observation before 1885.

Noctilucent clouds can form only under very restrictive conditions; their occurrence can be

used as a sensitive guide to changes in the upper atmosphere. They are a relatively recent

classification. The occurrence of noctilucent clouds appears to be increasing in frequency,

brightness and extent. It is theorized that this increase is connected to climate change.

15.Morning glories, Queensland, Australia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/7442252090/




Photo: Mick Petroff

The Morning Glory cloud is a rare meteoro logical phenomenon occasionally observed in

different locations around the world. The southern part of Northern Australia’s Gulf of

Carpentaria is the only known location where it can be predicted and observed on a more

or less regular basis. The settlement of Burketown attracts glider pilots intent on riding this

phenomenon.

16.Lenticular funnel, Palm Springs, CA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MorningGloryCloudBurketownFromPlane.jpg



Photo: °Florian

Lenticular clouds(Altocumulus lenticularis) are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at





17.Fog bow, Sydney, Australia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fboyd/





Photo: Nina Matthews Photography

A fog bow is a similar phenomenon to a rainbow, however, as its name suggests, it

appears as a bow in fog rather than rain. Because of the very small size of water droplets

that cause fog—smaller than 0.05 millimeters (0.0020 in)—the fog bow has only very weak

colors, with a red outer edge and bluish inner edge.

In many cases when the droplets are very small, fog bows appear white, and are therefore

sometimes called white rainbows. This lack of color is a feature of a fog bow which

distinguishes it from a glory, which has multiple pale co lored rings caused by diffraction.

When the droplets forming it are almost all of the same size the fog bow can have multiple

inner rings, or supernumeraries, that are more strongly colored than the main bow.

18.Shelf cloud, Wagga Wagga, Australia

Photo: Bidgee


http://www.flickr.com/photos/21560098@N06/


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thunderstorm_panorama.jpg/






19.Waterspout, Balearic Islands, Spain

Photo: Vvillamon

A waterspout is an intense co lumnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud)

that occurs over a body of water, connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form,

it is a non-supercell tornado over water. While it is often weaker than most of its land

counterparts, stronger versions spawned by mesocyclones do occur. Waterspouts do not

suck up water; the water seen in the main funnel cloud is actually water droplets formed by

condensation. While many waterspouts form in the tropics, locations at higher latitude

within temperate zones also report waterspouts, such as Europe and the Great Lakes.

Although rare, waterspouts have been observed in connection with lake-effect snow

precipitation bands.

20.Mammatus storm, Norman, OK

http://www.flickr.com/photos/villamon/



Photo: Angelyn Hobson






Source: Memolition

http://angelyngrace.blogspot.gr/2011/04/lightning-and-mammatus.html

http://memolition.com/2013/02/24/20-amazing-cloud-formations/

20 Amazing Cloud Formations

Documents

Transcript of 20 Amazing Cloud Formations