Fallstreak Holes (February ’06)

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(Click image to enlarge) (Image © Blair Heald)

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Few of us like to be the first to take the plunge. We hold back at the water’s edge, waiting for others to dive in. Clouds are much the same, as is demonstrated by the phenomenon of a ‘fallstreak hole’.

Layers of high cloud, such as cirrocumulus or the high altocumulus, shown above, are often composed of water that is much colder than 0degC but hasn’t frozen into ice crystals. When water is in the form of tiny droplets suspended in the air, it can behave rather differently from that in an ice tray in the freezer. It can stubbornly refuse to freeze, remaining as ‘supercooled’ liquid at temperatures of –10, –15, –20degC… None of the droplets want to be the first to freeze, and they tentatively wait as liquid, until some brave souls decide to make their move.

For reasons that are none too clear, a particular region of supercooled cloud can throw caution to the wind and decide to freeze into ice crystals that grow and fall below. A hole is left behind, and this spreads outwards as neighbouring droplets are swept up in the excitement and start freezing too.

No sooner have some droplets made the change, than they are all joining in. How appropriate, that the trail of falling crystals can look like a bird taking flight.

10 thoughts on “Fallstreak Holes (February ’06)”

  1. […] Fallstreak holes – Cloud Appreciation Society […]

  2. […] بلورات الثلج عن طريق مرور الطائرات، التي غالباً ما تتميز بوجود انخفاض كبير في الضغط وراء الجناح أو المروحة. […]

  3. […] غالباً ما تتميز بوجود انخفاض كبير في الضغط وراء الجناح أو المروحة. هذا […]

  4. […] بلورات الثلج عن طريق مرور الطائرات، التي غالباً ما تتميز بوجود انخفاض كبير في الضغط وراء الجناح أو المروحة. هذا […]

  5. Dave Foster says:

    I seen one of these punch hole clouds today here in Clinton Iowa 3-9-14 ( have photos )

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  8. aponi says:

    omg i love this pic

  9. aponi says:

    wow that looks like a tornado with a outer rim of a hurricane know to be like a water tornado but and no atmesfere to spin or to move at all not even to touch the ground at all

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