Lenticular Clouds: UFOs Have Come!
By Stephen Barabas on March 17, 2012, 1:30pm
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Altocumulus lenticularis, otherwise known as Lenticular clouds, are clouds analogous in appearance to that of flying saucers. In fact, they have commonly been mistaken for such alien objects! Mysterious in appearance, these interestingly shaped clouds tend to form upon or just off of mountain peaks.
How exactly do they form and why do they have the shape they do?
Standing waves, or lee waves, sometimes form on the downwind side of mountains, generally caused by the flow of moist air over their peaks. Typically, they develop as a result of being aligned at right-angles to the wind direction. Clouds form, of course, as the temperature falls to the dew point, and if such occurs, lenticular clouds will form. And normally as the moisture proceeds into the trough of the wave, evaporation occurs as the temperature rises. This results in the appearance of a cloud which stands till.
Not always do these clouds require a mount ridge to be in the vicinity. Sometimes they're able to form as a result of wind shear, cause by frontal systems.
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