Members and visitors might remember that a couple of years ago we proposed that a new classification of cloud should be added to the official classification system. Photographs of this cloud formation had been sent in by Society members over the years, and we’d never known quite how to classify them since we felt that they didn’t easily fit into the existing cloud terms.
The cloud looks a little like the surface of the sea on a choppy day, which is why we proposed that it should be called asperatus from the Latin verb ‘aspero’, meaning to make rough. The term was used by Roman poets to describe the sea as it was roughened by the cold north wind.
Asperatus clouds over the Lofoten Islands, Norway. © Ragnhild M Hansen
No sooner had we proposed asperatus as a new cloud type than the story ‘went viral’, becoming one of those news stories that just spreads through the world media. News pieces appeared in the UK, the US, online and in many other contries. It was even nominated as one of Time Magazine’s 50 best inventions of 2009.
We felt all this press attention was a little premature as there hadn’t even been time to look into the atmospheric conditions that give rise to the cloud formation. But all the publicity did lead to a huge number of people sending in their own photographs of asperatus clouds they’d spotted, greatly adding to the growing asperatus collection.
Soon, the term was being adopted by cloudspotters around the world. But we always thought it a pretty unlikely to ever be accepted as an official term. This, we were were told by our friends at The Royal Meteorological Society would only happen if it were acknowledged by the World Meteorological Organisation in Geneva, who publish the rather dry but thorough bible of cloud classification, The International Cloud Atlas.
Asperatus over Schiehallion, Perthshire, Scotland. © Ken Prior.
Graeme Anderson's asperatus dissertation.
By studying the weather records and using a computer model to simulate the cloud, Graeme found evidence that asperatus is formed in the sort of conditions that produce mamma clouds (also known as mammatus), but when the winds up at the cloud level cause it to be sheared into wavelike forms known as undulatus. The conclusion was that there was a case for this being accepted as a new classification – one that is called a cloud ‘supplementary feature’.
The Royal Meteorological Society is now encouraging the international meteorological community to update the Cloud Atlas and include asperatus to make it official. The current edition, after all, was published in the 1970s. If asperatus is accepted, it will be the first official cloud classification in 60 years.
Recent sightings over Chicago.
We will keep you posted if there is any news about the World Meteorological Organisation deciding to go ahead and update the classification system.
(13 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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30 comments have been made
Simply incredible. I have yet to witness firsthand any such wildness in the sky. I have seen my fair share of awesomeness, but the examples that are shown here, are just simply incredible. I will be a Cloudian until the day that such is no longer possible. Thanks Gavin, Thanks Ian… Thanks Mother Nature…. May your sky’s allways be filled with beauty. Bryan Hightower. Member # 7929
Great News for the Asperatus effort!..I have been absolutely thrilled at every Asperatus sighting . When turning a photo of an Asperatus event upside down, one can see the ” undulatus” effect. Supplementary feature or not, the phenomena is real, so godspeed to the WMO recognizing it. I sincerely hope the tenacity of the originators of the Asperatus effort pays off soon.
Wow … I`m speechless about such a sky … Thanks very much for showing this!!!
I had my first sighting of this formation on 10th June on the Isle of Wight. The island has a very interesting climate with some smaller micro-climates at various locations around it, which give a huge variety of clouds. I hope that you do get this recognised.
I have seen and photographed these types of clouds before, but never so sensually as in these photos from Scotland and Norway. It’s probably most likely to appear there because of the turbulence off the Northern Atlantic with the convergence of the Arctic Air with the (somewhat) warmer air from the Mid-Atlantic.
Whatever causes them doesn’t matter though, as they are gorgeous atmospheric events despite cause or explanation.
Asperatus! I have seen one, and I’ve looked in vain for any sort of classification. It didn’t look at all like the pictures of wave clouds. I really couldn’t believe my eyes, but now I see the first picture posted here and that’s more dramatic but still very similar to the deep black waves I saw. But I didn’t see them anywhere particularly exotic – they were to the south of the very unromantic Phipps Plaza (a shopping mall!) in Atlanta, GA. about two years ago…
ohhh….for sure, asperatus clouds are great…..you mean HAARP clouds?
you think it’s great that our leaders are dumping chem trails over us in the sky?
poisoning us with harmful chemicals that they drop from planes to interrupt natural weather patterns?
you think it’s great that they cover up their senseless, cold blooded acts with little fluffy good meaning terms like “asperatus clouds?”
we’re not little kids who can believe this and believe me, they’re not getting away with this, these pigs are going to get what they’re giving three fold, and I’m going to laugh when it’s going down
oh come on dave, you watch too much of X-Files… Consipration everywhere… can’t you just stop, take a deep breath, take a look above and enjoy what nature offers?
is this connected to the electro magnetic field being pulled? NASA put out info about it in 2009 around the same time this started happining
well, Honza, why just sit and stare at freaky, doomsday-like brown bumpy skies like the one over Schiehallion shown in the picture, wondering what the hell you’d like to call the freakier one that’s coming tomorrow.. just go for it, hitch a ride on a piper, and fly your way through it next time you see one! And needless to say.. don’t forget to take deep breaths when you’re there ;)
On May 27 riving north toward Huntsville Ontario Canada on Highway 11 my husband and I were a little spooked and worried when we saw the sky in front of us completely covered from east to west with this canopy of weird undulating clouds that looked like high mountains and valleys. Have never seen this kind of formation before. It was during a time of very unsettled weather (rain hail and eventually tornato warnings unusual for this area). Came online to see if anyone else had seen anything like these clouds and found your website. Thanks…. felt like we were witnessing the apocalypse!!!!
I observed some interesting clouds like these in the Chicago area on June 29, 2012. I have photos on wunderground dot com, search LarrySmit.
Seen this sort of cloud formation myself over the years. I shall have to try and take a picture next time.
And looking at some of comments a few people need to get out more and stop watching too much syfy.
Great photo, and lovely cloud formation. The story hit the Independent today, and was reviewed in the newspaper review on Sky News last night: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/a-new-cloud-on-the-horizon-8165969.html
I blogged it on my site, which also supports cloud appreciation from a different angle:
http://www.greenygrey.co.uk/blog/?p=5455
A friend of mine and I spotted low asperatus clouds while driving near Worth Matravers on the Dorset coast on 27 August and pulled the car over as I had never seen anything like this before. I likened them at the time to a ruched marquee lining when seen from one angle.
I have images and will join in order to post.
I was with my friend Bridget at Worth Matravers on August 27 when we spotted the cloud formation – I thought it looked spooky and ominous and had certainly never seen anything like it before. It proved to not be ominous, soon cleared up, and the sun came out an hour or so later.
Wow! I’ve always loved cloud formation but todays airing of the Perthshire Asperatus photo in the Daily Telegraph has introduced me to the ‘Cloud Appreciation Society’! I will certainly sign up. The picture is almost sinister, exciting too…
Just saw these type of clouds outside in Southeastern, KY.
They scared me at first. Amazing!
Hey I just happened to catch something about this potential new cloud classification, and thought as a more or less lifetime resident of Anchorage, Alaska we see this type of cloud on a fairly regular basis, both in Anchorage, and all over the Kenai Peninsula. I would bet with a minimum of effort many, many pictures of this new cloud could be obtained from local networks, residents, and of course the huge number of tourists that come through this area.
I’ve been a avid weather watcher since the 70s, and have noted that, at least in New England, Asperatus seems to be associated with certain weather types. I’ve seen it when a vigorous deep low and active occluded fronts are moving in and there is little lower cloud. They move quickly and are associated with a cool surface temperature. Secondly, they can form in the cool maritime air north of coastal lows moving off the coast of New England. I have never seen them connected with any thunderstorms or thunder regimes or humid air masses (at least when I’ve viewed them). Always seems to be cool air.
The Norway photo is stunning. A very similar Asperatus sky appeared over Michigan’s capitol on Sept. 25, 2012. Will send photos. Wishing you success in achieving official recognition for this cloud type.
When you do the research on chemtrails, HAARP, and Geoengineering, you will most likely come to the same conclusion that many of us have: the government is conducting their “secret” projects as they have always done and we the people are their test subjects. When government scientists say “Oh, yeah, we might conduct spray operations in the future to ‘stop Global Warming’ with Geoengineering, but we’re not doing it yet,” they are lying.
Brand new cloud formations never seen before? WHY? Has anyone figured that out yet? If you have been standing underneath a sky of “Asperatus clouds” you might just feel the creepiness closing in on you. This is NOT natural. Wake up people, before it is too late. Stop going along with everything the government tells you and try thinking for yourself. All you have to do is take some time to research this for yourself and you will be shocked.
i have some photos of so called asperatus clouds that i took a week ago ..would you like me to send them to you ?
Some of these clouds are pretty like Scotland but the one in New Zealand looks wicked scary!
I question some of this and open to look at HAARP. Wouldn’t ignore the possibility
Great show this AM above Fort Worth, TX of this cloud formation. absolutely stunning and a tad bit creepy. I’d never seen anything like it, and was able to capture a number of shots after dropping my son off at school.
edit your stuff first. “this we were were..”
This is my image share. Taken on March 24, 2012 in the town of Clay, New York. It was lightly raining on and off. Other than that, I don’t recall much other stormy weather. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v51/Kim2002/PhotosbyKimHill/2012-03-24_09-55-26_53_KimHill_zpsb927a948.jpg
Since you are clouds professionals, I would like to share with you all something that my grandma taught me — if she is still alive she will be 136 years old in 2013 !! She said that when we see red clouds in the morning, there will be rain at the evening. If you see red clouds in the evening, there will be sunshine the next morning !! I found it is 100% accurate in Malaysia and China. What about in your country ??
Love the photos that you took, I love to watch the clouds when I was young !! We saw human,animals, trees and all sorts of art in the sky !! So pretty !!
Saw clouds like this about a month ago over Cardiff. Unfortunatly was on my way to work so no camera with me.
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