Clouds

Otter

Steelhead
Thanks for those truely amazing images! After 70 years on this planet, you would think that no cloud could surprise me, but they are infinite in their variety.
I looked up that rainbow effect awhile ago, and you are right; that's caused by moisture in the air, either as liquid or as ice:
 

Xoxo

Ominously beautiful!
 

Canuck from Kansas

Aimlessly wondering through life
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I'm guessing this is related to moisture content, but if anybody knows more specifics, I'd love to hear it.
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From last December when some very cool formations filled up the valley
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They look like they could be a sort of Mammatus formation, usually indicative of potential severe storms - we used to see them quite a bit in Kansas.


cheers
 

SilverFly

Life of the Party
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20221201_120533.jpg
The nice thing about clouds is they provide scenery in very un-scenic settings.
 

SilverFly

Life of the Party
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Saw this a while back. Never seen anything like it. Anyone know what's going on here?

View attachment 43545

I'll take a stab since I love a good science mystery. Complete meteorological layman's WAG here.

Looks like a contrail somehow disrupted the thin layer of cumulus clouds. Which appear to be flattened out against a higher layer of cooler/drier air. IF it is a contrail cloud, I'm guessing the jet seeded the cloud as it rose through the same layer of warmer/humid air that formed the cumulus. As the contrail cloud rose, it grew and wicked moisture from the surrounding air, creating a depletion zone with little to no condensation. Once the jet punched into the cool/dry layer, there wasn't enough moisture to form a contrail. Or winds in that layer blew it away.

Either that, or it's a gigantic, flying, albino centipede.
 

Wadin' Boot

Badly tied flies, mediocre content
Forum Supporter
I'll take a stab since I love a good science mystery. Complete meteorological layman's WAG here.

Looks like a contrail somehow disrupted the thin layer of cumulus clouds. Which appear to be flattened out against a higher layer of cooler/drier air. IF it is a contrail cloud, I'm guessing the jet seeded the cloud as it rose through the same layer of warmer/humid air that formed the cumulus. As the contrail cloud rose, it grew and wicked moisture from the surrounding air, creating a depletion zone with little to no condensation. Once the jet punched into the cool/dry layer, there wasn't enough moisture to form a contrail. Or winds in that layer blew it away.

Either that, or it's a gigantic, flying, albino centipede.
yep that's what they call a fallstreak hole. Or, as you correctly point out it could be a...
gigantic, flying, albino centipede.
 
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