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Cloud Type?

Dan Langhout

Well Known Member
I feel like I am supposed to know this - but I don't. Saw these interesting clouds over Georgia on Sunday. I was at 9000 ft and these clouds were probably around 4000-5000? Interesting wave appearance. Anybody know what these are called?

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I am guessing you were east of a 4-5000' mountain? Could be as much as 100's of miles east. Pretty sure they are simple cumulus, but the upper shape is created by mountain wave. When seen near the rockies, they call them Lenticular clouds, but they have a different look, as the winds are much stronger and whip up the cloud more, with a lot more rotation.

In the pic, you can see the reducing wave form looking left to right at the cloud tops. You can also see the amplitude get wider.

Larry
 
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I am guessing you were east of a 4-5000' mountain? Could be as much as 100's of miles east. Pretty sure they are simple cumulus, but the upper shape is created by mountain wave. When seen near the rockies, they call them Lenticular clouds, but they have a different look, as the winds are much stronger and whip up the cloud more, with a lot more rotation.

In the pic, you can see the reducing wave form looking left to right at the cloud tops. You can also see the amplitude get wider.

Larry

I was about 15 Nm East of Columbus, GA on a heading of 150 when this photo was taken. Winds at my altitude were approx 250 @ 14.
 
Those same cloud formations extended all the way to the North FL and South GA Atlantic coasts Sunday morning as I saw the same thing as I flew up to SC and back from Tampa to pick up my son Sunday morning.
 
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https://whatsthiscloud.com/cloud-varieties/undulatus/Take your pic as to which type based on altitude :).
Winner winner chicken dinner... My pick is Stratocumulus (Sc), Low, puffy layer

created by mountain wave. When seen near the rockies, they call them Lenticular clouds, Larry
Larry we don't have mountain ranges like the West. Blue Ridge / Appalachian Mountains is the main range in Eastern USA. It is long but not near as high as the Western ranges, and SC is not mountainous at that point. Tallest mountain in West most SC is Sassafras Mountain at 3,500'. Lenticular clouds are often very high (12,000 feet), caps a mountain tops, smooth lens shape, and associated with high winds aloft. From his description the clouds were low level and winds mild. I agree they a baby puffy cumulonimbus. The other guess is status which they kind of are? but these puffs have some vertical development, albeit small.

I see a frontal system clearly in the back ground of the picture and likely driving all this activity. Cool looking clouds.... but I think RV7A Flyer has the right link.
 
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Asked the local TV Meteorologist . . . .

. . . . and he said
Looks like clouds within a gravity wave. This would have been ahead of the cold front that moved in Sunday night. Basically,a wave moving through a stable layer of the atmosphere.

So . . . . . yeah!
 
“Gravity wave”

To quote the old sage….“I don’t think that word means what he thinks it means…….”

;)
 
. . . . and he said

So . . . . . yeah!

It definitely appeared as a wave, as you can see, via the cloud tops, the intensity diminish and amplitude lengthen over a distance; Mountain wave does the same, but normally can't be seen, just felt. Did not know that waves could be created by frontal systems. I wonder if these predictions are part of the Tango airmet forecasting. They seem to occasionally be found around frontal systems.

Larry
 
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