(Click image to enlarge) (Image © Brian Wong)
The classic 1964 surfing documentary, The Endless Summer, followed the adventures of three surfers traveling from Malibu to Ghana, via Nigeria, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Hawaii in search of the perfect wave. Cloudspotters can experience their own perfect wave too, without ever having to leave home – all they need is a lot of patience. The only down side to the ultimate aerial breaker, is that it has the particularly un-hip name of the ‘Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud’.
The breaking waveforms of ‘Kelv-Helmz’ (as they aren’t known) are the result of shearing winds up at cloud level. A particular type of turbulence can develop in a layer of Cirrus cloud, which happens to form below an inversion* between air currents of differing speeds and/or directions. Sea waves break as their bases are slowed down upon reaching shallow water and their crests surge ahead. Cloud waves break in the same way: when their crests are pushed ahead of their troughs by the difference in air currents.
Though spotter-dudes won’t have to cross the world to see this formation, those in search of the perfect Kelvin-Helmholtz will have to wait a while. This most beautiful and transient of formations may appear over most regions of the world but it only ever does so on the rarest of occasions.
*An inversion is a region where air temperatures change with altitude in such a way as to act as an invisible ‘ceiling’ that stops clouds from rising through it.
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8 comments have been made
I have been lucky enough to have seen these clouds this year in between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM at dusk. I watched them form and was completely fascinated by them as I drove south on the highway. Unfortunately, I had no camera with me but they are ingrained in my memory!
Today I saw them, the imfomiss kelvin-helmholtz clouds comming home from work. Unfortunately they were gone within a few minutes, so I did’nt have time to take pictures.Where were these clouds seen, Brampton,Ontario,Canada
I saw these clouds over the Atlantic Ocean on my birthday this year, 13 October. I was surfing at Saunton, North Devon, UK. My friends were a long way down the beach and were too busy watching the waves on the ocean to see these amazing formations in the sky! I had to make some new friends to share them with;)
What a wonderful birthday gift, perfect waves twice over!
I saw some over Jacksonville, Illinois today. Sadly, my camera wasn’t with me.
They were pretty awesome!
These were seen Dec 16,2011 in Birmingham,Ala on Utube home vid called …Tsunami wave cloud over Birmingham,Ala
sorry to tell you but these clouds are not good sign… Earth changes are violent and upheaval at our doorstep
may look “nice” but, as sign, not at all…
Ana, I’m interested in hearing & learning more about your statement, I believe you are right! Please email me with your facts, thoughts, and anything at mekickitgirl@gmail.com Thank you
I saw those the other day and was fortunate enough to have my camera with me. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdawn82/6809560611/ Only got one or two good shots before they leveled off.
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