Orological Atmosphere
One of the best things about the building in which I live is an accessible rooftop, where I have a fairly unobstructed view of the sky. Last night, I was fortunate to see a spectacular sunset made even more luscious by the appearance of lenticular clouds in the northeastern sky. Altocumulus lenticularis are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes over mountainous regions, normally aligned perpendicular to the wind direction. When stable moist air flows over mountains, enormous standing waves sometimes form in the mountains’ lee. If the temperature at the crest of a wave is at or below the dew point, moisture in the air can condense to form a lenticular cloud. When multiple lenticular clouds are generated by the crests of successive waves, the resulting formation is known as a wave cloud.
Photos © 2009, Mark Ellinger.
Gorgeous as usual, Mark. We sometimes have these clouds here in Seattle, too.
Absolutely stunning. I am going to have to put on a special updates program at Facebook because I am not notified or tagged on your notes and attachments. If I don’t click on your profile, I miss all this beautiful stuff.