A rare sight: cloud waves spotted in the US

Rare clouds resembling waves formed in Utah, these only form under certain weather conditions.

The atmosphere can always produce impressive phenomena. In Cache Valley, a valley in Utah, the clouds on the adjacent mountain range looked like breaking waves on the beach. These are so-called Kelvin-Helmholtz waves.

They form at the boundary between air layers of different temperatures, which additionally move at different wind speeds at different heights.

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds can be observed all over the world. However, they usually remain visible in the sky for only a few minutes before disappearing again. Therefore, they are very rare

Like the water level of a lake, the winds of the slightly faster and warmer air layer above ripples the top of the sluggish and cooler air layer below.

In the process, some of the lower air layers is stirred up into the air mass above, forming the typical wave patterns.

If you spot these rare clouds and manage to snap a picture we would love to see them! Use our uploader or tap the camera icon in the app.