Lenticular Clouds
2012-02-04 08:46:56.000 – Rebecca Scholand, Operations Assistant
NULL
With the valley under the clouds and the summit above it felt like we were in a mountainous castle with a cloud moat. Today was not much different in that we still had an undercast with breaks here and there but the clouds above were impressive. The sky was filled with seemingly stationary lenticular clouds. Some were pancaked in appearance, some UFO like, and others stretched across the sky.
A lenticular cloud is a type of stationary lens shaped cloud that forms at high altitudes, typically in stronger winds, and normally downwind of a mountain range. Here the flow of the air has a wave like motion as it rises and falls. At the windward edge of the cloud the air has been raised and cooled enough to form a cloud, however on the leeward side of the cloud the air has sank and warmed enough that the moisture turns back into vapor and the cloud dissipates. This is what gives the cloud its stationary look when in fact it is constantly changing.
Brian Clark was able to film a time lapse of this happening today. To check it out visit our YouTube site.
Rebecca Scholand, Operations Assistant
From Weather Observer to Intern, to Observer Again
From Weather Observer to Intern, to Observer Again By Madelynn Smith As I rode in the backseat of our Obs van up the Auto Road for the first time as a full-time employee at
From Mountains to More Mountains
From Mountains to More Mountains: This Time with Stronger Winds By Alyssa Bélanger On the observation deck in high winds. Hello there! My name is Alyssa Bélanger and I am a fall
From Summit to Sign-Off: My Farewell to the Rockpile
From Summit to Sign-Off: My Farewell to the Rockpile By Amy Cotter Enjoying my last Mount Washington sunset (for now) on September 13, 2025. After two incredible years with the Mount Washington
