Behind the strange beauty of dragon scale clouds, nacreous clouds, and Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds lies a concerning omen for humanity regarding weather and climate changes.
Top 10 Rarest Cloud Types Around the World That Will Astonish Viewers
1. Lenticular Clouds
Lenticular Clouds are quite rare and typically appear along mountain ranges and sheltered areas on the windward side, especially when a stable stream of dry and moist air flows horizontally across a mountain or hill. When the moist air is pushed upward and reaches a saturation point, it condenses into clouds.
These clouds have a fluffy, layered appearance and can resemble flying saucers from a distance. Thus, many people often mistake them for unidentified flying objects and refer to them as “UFO clouds.”
However, few know that the appearance of these clouds is a warning sign of impending weather changes such as storms and flooding. They typically exist for about 10 to 15 minutes before weather changes occur, during which the sky may display waves both vertically and horizontally, depending on the cloud’s altitude.
2. Mammatus Clouds
Mammatus Clouds, known as “dragon scale clouds,” refer to strange, bulbous formations in the sky. These undulating clouds are formed by numerous small cloud pouches gathering together, creating a vast, dense, suspended mass that can extend for hundreds of meters across the sky.
These cloud pouches stack on top of each other, intertwining, resembling the bulging biceps of a giant. According to astronomers, Mammatus Clouds are signs of severe thunderstorms accompanied by lightning during warm weather months.
These gigantic cloud pouches represent a significant amount of water vapor in the air that has condensed. Due to the complex and violent movement of the air layer when Mammatus Clouds form, airlines advise against aircraft operating in areas with these cloudy conditions.
3. Undulatus Asperatus Clouds
The image of the clouds below was temporarily named Undulatus Asperatus by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society. These clouds can be understood as chaotic, powerful, and unusual wave-like formations.
While the term “wave-like” may sound normal, it actually refers to a rare type of cloud. Researchers are still investigating whether this cloud type represents a new form.
Experts suspect that the chaotic underside of Asperatus clouds can result from strong winds disturbing the stable layers of hot and cold air that existed beforehand, leading to their unusual wave-like appearance.
Meanwhile, Pretor-Pinney adds: “Careful observation of these clouds can help us detect signs of global warming in the sky. They may provide answers about temperature changes and climate variations in the near future on Earth.”
4. Nacreous Clouds
Nacreous Clouds are a type of cloud formed in extremely cold regions of the lower stratosphere, at altitudes of 15,000 – 25,000 meters. Descriptions liken these clouds to thin membranes that roll up and spread out, suddenly contracting in the twilight sky.
Under extremely low temperatures (-78 degrees Celsius), various shapes of clouds form, classified by their physical states and chemical compositions. The curvature of the Earth’s surface allows these clouds to catch and reflect light from the horizon, creating the nacreous phenomenon.
This phenomenon is believed to be a direct result of humans releasing excessive methane gas into the atmosphere, reacting with ozone to form cloud compounds. The appearance of nacreous clouds is a worrying sign that Earth is gradually warming.
5. Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds
These types of clouds are scientifically known as “Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds.” The name is derived from the two scientists, Lord Kelvin and Hermann von Helmholtz, who researched and provided the most accurate explanations for this unusual natural phenomenon.
Many people wonder, “Does the phenomenon of tsunami clouds in the sky indicate a disaster is looming?” However, scientists point out that Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds form when two layers of air collide, causing sudden changes in wind speed and creating chaos. The evaporation and condensation of water vapor from the sea, when meeting the intersection of two layers of air of different thicknesses and densities, creates a wave effect in the clouds.
The phenomenon of “tsunami clouds” typically appears before a storm strikes. These large clouds can extend for several kilometers, dominating the sky. Accompanying “tsunami clouds” are heavy rain, strong winds, flooding, and hail.
6. Noctilucent Clouds
Noctilucent Clouds are a rare phenomenon occurring in the upper part of the Earth’s atmosphere. They are composed of ice crystals and can only be seen when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon. In Latin, noctilucent means glowing at night.
Noctilucent clouds are one of the highest types of clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere, found in the mesosphere at altitudes ranging from approximately 76 to 85 km, and even up to 100 km. They typically occur at high latitudes during the summer months and are believed to be an omen related to climate change in the lower atmosphere.
7. Fallstreak Holes
Fallstreak holes are large circular voids that appear in cirrus clouds (thin, wispy clouds) or cumulus clouds (fluffy, cloud-like formations). These holes form when the temperature of the water in the cloud is below freezing, but the water has not yet frozen due to a lack of ice nuclei.
When a portion of the cloud begins to freeze, it triggers a chain reaction, causing surrounding water vapor to also freeze and fall out, creating a hole, typically circular, in the middle of the cloud.
One hypothesis suggests that disturbances in the cloud layer (caused by aircraft) may initiate the chain evaporation effect, leading to the formation of fallstreak holes. Experts also believe that this phenomenon could be a sign of global climate change, enhancing snowfall in areas with fallstreak holes. However, some scientists remain skeptical about this issue.
8. Roll Clouds
Roll clouds are low, horizontal clouds resembling a rolling cylinder across the sky. These clouds are quite rare but can appear anywhere, primarily depending on wind circulation.
The skies of Queensland, Australia, frequently experience roll clouds, especially around October due to the influence of sea breezes from the Cape York Peninsula.
9. Funnel Clouds
Funnel clouds are sometimes mistaken for tornadoes due to their similar shape. The formation mechanism of funnel clouds resembles that of tornadoes, where upward winds create a cone shape, allowing clouds to rotate.
However, unlike tornadoes, funnel clouds do not reach the ground but usually remain suspended in the air. Nevertheless, this could indicate the potential onset of a tornado if it approaches the ground and gains strength as it moves.
The phenomenon of funnel clouds has been recorded multiple times in the United Kingdom.
10. Virga Clouds
Virga clouds are often described as having a shape similar to jellyfish and are most visible when illuminated by the sun at sunset.
Virga clouds form when streaks of rain disperse from the underside of a cloud but evaporate before reaching the ground.
Virga clouds are commonly seen in deserts, where low humidity and high temperatures can cause rain to evaporate immediately after being released by the clouds.
