According to International Cloud Atlas
International Cloud Atlas
International Cloud Atlas is a cloud atlas that was first published in 1896 and has remained in print since then. Its initial purposes included aiding the training of meteorologists and promoting more consistent use of vocabulary describing clouds, which were both important for early weather fore…
Undulatus asperatus
Asperitas (formerly known as Undulatus 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 o…
Are asperatus clouds a new cloud type?
Margaret LeMone, a cloud expert with the National Center for Atmospheric Research has taken photos of asperatus clouds for 30 years, and considers it in her own words, a new cloud type. On June 20, 2006, Jane Wiggins took a picture of asperatus clouds from the window of a downtown office building in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
How do Asperitas clouds form?
The way in which asperitas clouds form is somewhat a mystery, yet there is much debate and confusion over how the wave-like clouds come into existence. It is hypothesised that their appearance is associated with the aftermath of convective thunderstorms, though they have also been sighted in relatively calm environments.
How was this time-lapse of Undulatus asperatus clouds created?
This particular time-lapse of undulatus asperatus clouds was created by animating still frames of a video taken by storm chaser Alex Schueth, who recorded the clouds over Lincoln, Nebraska, on July 7, 2014. This animation of undulatus asperatus was uploaded to Imgur and is a gif of the video taken by Alex Schueth.
Are these asperatus clouds forming in Lincoln?
On July 7, 2014 asperatus clouds in Lincoln, Nebraska, have been caught on tape by Alex Schueth. One of the most dramatic formations was captured by Witta Priester in New Zealand in 2005. The photo was posted by NASA as the Astronomy Picture of the Day and shows great detail, partly because sunlight illuminates the undulating clouds from the side.
Where are asperitas clouds most common?
The ominous-looking clouds have been particularly common in the Plains states of the United States, often during the morning or midday hours following convective thunderstorm activity.
What causes asperitas wave clouds?
However, asperitas are often observed around the same time thunderstorms form. Scientists believe that turbulent air, similar to air found in storms and along weather fronts (where air masses clash and cause vertical motion and wind shear), is responsible for the formation of these ominous looking clouds.
When was the last asperatus cloud?
A storm system moving across the Ozarks on June 7th produced widespread interest for more than just the thunder and rainfall it produced....Unique 'Undulatus Asperatus' Clouds - June 7th, 2010.Taken near Monett, MO. by Local ResidentTaken near Aurora, MO. by Local ResidentProvided by Tony DustmanProvided by Tony Dustman4 more rows•Jun 7, 2010
What is the rarest cloud formation?
Kelvin Helmholtz Waves are perhaps the rarest cloud formation of all. Rumored to be the inspiration for Van Gogh's masterpiece “Starry Night”, they are incredibly distinctive. They are mainly associated with cirrus, altocumulus, and stratus clouds over 5,000m.
Are asperitas clouds rare?
Asperitas (formerly referred to as Undulatus Asperitas) is a distinctive, but relatively rare cloud formation that takes the appearance of rippling waves. These wave-like structures form on the underside of the cloud to makes it look like a rough sea surface when viewed from below.
What does it mean when the clouds look like waves?
An extremely rare phenomenon, where a cloud produces a billowing wave pattern. They occur when there is a strong vertical shear between two air streams, causing winds to blow faster at the upper level than at the lower levels.
How do you pronounce Asperitas?
It was a rare cloud formation called asperitas (pronounced ass-pair-it-ass), meaning roughness in Latin.
What is the highest cloud ever recorded?
Astronomers have discovered the largest and oldest mass of water ever detected in the universe — a gigantic, 12-billion-year-old cloud harboring 140 trillion times more water than all of Earth's oceans combined.
What is Undulatus Asperatus?
agitated wavesUndulatus means wavy and asperatus translates as agitated or roughed, so the name is Latin for "agitated waves." (MORE: 10 Amazing Clouds)
What is the scariest cloud?
Shelf clouds often resemble big waves or tsunamis and are quite scary-looking since they are usually very low-hanging, sometimes only a couple hundred feet above the ground. Most false tornado reports are usually shelf clouds.
What is the weirdest type of cloud?
Lenticular clouds are saucer-shaped clouds that form due to the motion of oscillating air. This phenomenon usually happens above or near mountain ranges, which cause disturbances in airflow patterns.
What are the 3 unusual clouds?
Unusual Clouds: Lenticular, Virga, Mammatus, Kelvin-HelmholtzJellyfish clouds or Virga. Image: Courtesy of NOAA. ... Mammatus clouds. Image: Courtesy of Wikipedia. ... Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds. Image: Courtesy of Windows to the Universe, Benjamin Foster/UCAR. ... Lenticular clouds. Lenticular clouds look like flyer saucers!
What is an asperitas cloud?
What is asperitas cloud? Asperitas (formerly referred to as Undulatus Asperitas) is a distinctive, but relatively rare cloud formation that takes the appearance of rippling waves. These wave-like structures form on the underside of the cloud to makes it look like a rough sea surface when viewed from below.
How do asperita clouds form?
The way in which asperitas clouds form is somewhat a mystery, yet there is much debate and confusion over how the wave-like clouds come into existence. It is hypothesised that their appearance is associated with the aftermath of convective thunderstorms, though they have also been sighted in relatively calm environments.
How do mammatus clouds form?
One theory does suggest that they are formed when mammatus clouds descend into areas of the sky where wind direction changes with height causing the wave-like movement . What is clear however is that atmospheric conditions must be unstable to form a wavy cloud base like that seen with asperitas.
When was the newest cloud type proposed?
The addition of this previously undocumented cloud formation to the World Meteorological Organisation's International Cloud Atlas was first proposed by the Cloud Appreciation Society in 2008.
Can asperitas be accompanied by other precipitation producing clouds?
Though the likely unstable atmospheric conditions required to form the wavy cloud base could also allow the growth of convective rain clouds, meaning that asperitas could be accompanied by other, precipitation-producing clouds.
What type of wind flows off mountains?
Speculation therefore holds that asperitas clouds might be related to lenticular clouds that form near mountains, or mammatus clouds associated with thunderstorms, or perhaps a foehn wind -- a type of dry downward wind that flows off mountains. Such a wind called the Canterbury arch streams toward the east coast of New Zealand's South Island.
Is Asperitas a flat bottomed cloud?
Formally recognized as a distinct cloud type only last year, Asperitas clouds can be stunning in appearance, unusual in occurrence, and are relatively unstudied. Whereas most low cloud decks are flat bottomed, asperitas clouds appear to have significant vertical structure underneath.
Who discovered the rogue cloud?
As the story goes, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, a cloud expert and founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society, took notice of the hundreds of photographs shared with him by cloud enthusiasts across the globe. Just as puzzled by what he was seeing as his members were, Pretor-Pinney petitioned the UK’s Royal Meteorological Society and the World Meteorological Organization to investigate the rogue cloud in more detail back in 2008. After years of researching images of the unknown cloud, scientists agreed that these unusual nameless clouds did not fit the description of any existing cloud types. So in March 2017, asperitas joined the over 100 other clouds listed in the WMO’s International Cloud Atlas —the world’s “cloud bible” used for classifying and observing clouds since 1896.
Do Asperitas clouds look scary?
Asperitas clouds are no exception. Learn how they form! There’s no doubt that clouds can sometimes look scary . During severe summer storms or spring tornado season, certain cloud formations can cause the sky to take on an eerie, ominous look that resembles more ...
