That's Not A UFO! Here's The Science Behind Lenticular Clouds
It¡¯s not just any type of cloud, though. If it looks a bit like a UFO, it¡¯s probably a lenticular cloud. The name comes from the fact that they¡¯re shaped like a lens or a saucer.
In March, residents in Scotland witnessed UFO-shaped clouds in a rare phenomenon. This eerie weather phenomenon is relatively common in mountainous regions, where high-speed winds ricochet over a tall peak, creating a saucer-shaped cloud formation high in the sky.
The clouds look eerie, saucer-shaped puffs that seem to hang over the sky like UFOs.
BBC Weather Watchers
What are these UFO-shaped clouds?
It¡¯s not just any type of cloud, though. If it looks a bit like a UFO, it¡¯s probably a lenticular cloud. The name comes from the fact that they¡¯re shaped like a lens or a saucer.
Scotland's Met department said that while 'they are quite unusual in the British Isles' they do 'occasionally occur', Edinburgh Live reported.
Wow, what a sky over Keswick tonight. @CumbriaWeather what do you make of this ? pic.twitter.com/Au6pOi1dhe
¡ª Sunnyside Guest House (@Sunnysidegh) March 19, 2022
¡°They look a lot like the traditional shape of flying saucers in science fiction, and real lenticular clouds are believed to be one of the most common explanations for UFO sightings across the world," a Met spokesperson told Edinburgh Live.
"When air blows across a mountain range, in certain circumstances, it can set up a train of large standing waves in the air downstream, rather like ripples forming in a river when water flows over an obstruction. If there is enough moisture in the air, the rising motion of the wave will cause water vapour to condense, forming the unique appearance of lenticular clouds," they said.
Interestingly, lenticular clouds have also been known to form in non-mountainous places, as the result of shear winds created by a front.
"On the ground, they can result in very strong gusty winds in one place, with still air only a few hundred metres away. Pilots of powered aircraft tend to avoid flying near lenticular clouds because of the turbulence that accompanies them," the spokesperson added.
So, the next time someone yells UFO! You better ask them if they just saw a cloud. Hehe!
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