Where can lenticular clouds be found?
Where can lenticular clouds be found?
A lenticular cloud is a lens-shaped cloud that normally develops on the downwind side of a mountain or mountain range. This occurs when stable, moist air flows over a mountain, creating a series of oscillating waves.
What should you expect if you see lenticular clouds over a mountain?
Lenticular clouds indicate great instability in that layer of the atmosphere, and form in areas of mountain waves. Like ocean waves, these waves of air bouncing over the mountains are anything but stable. It makes sense that it would be a “rough ride”.
What are clouds over mountains called?
Lenticular clouds, sometimes called “cap clouds,” form over mountain peaks when moisture begins to increase in the upper levels of the atmosphere. Lenticular clouds, or standing wave clouds, are associated with waves in the atmosphere.
What are lenticular clouds associated with?
Known as Altocumulus Standing Lenticular (ACSL) or Altocumulus Standing Lenticularis clouds, they are associated with waves in the atmosphere that develop when relatively stable, fast moving air is forced up and over a topographic barrier that is oriented more or less perpendicular to the direction from which the upper …
When can you see lenticular clouds?
Lenticular clouds form most often in winter, but it is not uncommon to see them at other times of the year. These images were taken in August.
On which side of a mountain windward or leeward would lenticular clouds most likely form?
On which side of a mountain (windward or leeward) would lenticular clouds most likely form? Leeward side. If they form directly over the mountain top, they are called mountain wave clouds. What is the primary difference between a cloud droplet and a raindrop?
What is the meaning of lenticular clouds?
lenticular cloud in American English noun. a very smooth, round or oval, lens-shaped cloud that is often seen, singly or stacked in groups, near a mountain ridge.
Do lenticular clouds produce turbulence?
But if conditions are right, these waves can cause severe mountain wave turbulence, from the earth’s surface all the way up into the stratosphere. For the gentler waves, sailplane pilots seek the upwind side of the lenticular clouds because they can have nearly continuous updrafts there.
