Occasionally clouds appear to have a hole in them; these are known as fallstreak holes or hole-punch clouds. To form, the water droplets in the cloud must be supercooled; in Keep reading
Tag: cloud formation
Spiderwebs and Stratocumulus Clouds
Stratocumulus clouds cover about 20% of Earth’s surface at any given time, and they form distinctive patterns of lumpy cells separated by thin slits. Because of their interconnectedness, researchers nicknamed Keep reading
“Monsoon 6”
The stunning power and beauty of our atmosphere comes to life in Mike Olbinski’s latest short film, “Monsoon 6”. Over the years, I’ve probably watched dozens of Olbinski’s videos, yet Keep reading
Colorful Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds
Like breaking waves at the beach, these wavy clouds curl but only for a moment. The photo was captured near sunset on a late August evening in Arlington, MA. This Keep reading
Bright Volcanic Clouds
Every day human activity pumps aerosol particles into the atmosphere, potentially altering our weather patterns. But tracking the effects of those emissions is difficult with so many variables changing at Keep reading
Mammatus Clouds
Mammatus clouds are a relatively rare and dramatic variety. One advantage of living in Colorado is that I see them somewhat often, especially during our stormy springs and summers. This Keep reading
A Lenticular Cloud With a Curl
Lens-shaped lenticular clouds are not terribly rare in mountainous areas, but observers at Mount Washington caught a very unusual cloud near sunrise in late February. This lenticular cloud had an Keep reading
A Year From Geostationary Orbit
Our planet is a complex fluid dynamical system, and one of the best ways to watch nature at work is through timelapse. This short film takes us through an entire Keep reading
Growing Droplets
The moisture in clouds eventually condenses into droplets that grow into raindrops and fall. Some steps in this process are well understood, but others are not. In particular, scientists have Keep reading
“Monsoon IV”
It’s a cliché to claim that the sky is bigger in the American West, but the wide, open views in that region do offer a very different perspective on weather. Keep reading