Well since me, Josh in Wisconsin and Howard in Texas have been having a cloud discussion over the past few days, I thought -- why not post a cloud blog.
The atmosphere is such a awesome thing, and several forces/variables can work together to create some wonderous sights.
One of the coolest clouds I have ever seen in person is the Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud.
This is a high, cirrus type of cloud and it represents wind shear (different speeds) between two layers of the atmosphere (with different temperatures/densities).
When the wind shear is strong enough, little eddies form along the boundary -- and you can see these along the top of the cloud.
I have attached the picture I took on Dec. 5, 2005 in Westminster, Colorado -- looking west toward the foothills.
My cloud may not be the strongest example, but hopefully you can see the little waves that form along the top of the cloud.
Here is a link to the Cloud Appreciation Society (yes there is one) and there you will see a better example.
Click here.
Thanks for pointing The Cloud Appreciation Society in our direction, Chris. What an awesome site. I am anticipating many good reads. Great photo of the ‘Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud’! There is nothing better then spotting the event in person and taking your own photo. Since this small discussion of Howard's cloud encounter began, my "eye to the sky" has a new perspective. I need to scroll through my archives to see if I accidentally took any worthwhile cloud photos. Thanks, guys.
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