Unusual clouds spotted

[Marie Nicholls]

Any ideas on what the below could be? Spotted in my garden before a fairly heavy rain shower. I wondered if it was the undulatus formation, however thought it didn’t quite match it? Thanks :)

 

[Sarah Sturgis]

Marie, A linear parallel pattern of undulatus is implied in places.  I see it, too.
Undulatus clouds form in the low pressure troughs between the rolling, parallel waves in the ocean of air below. They are long, straight, parallel clouds of the same altitude. Here the undulatus have become strato- and alto- cumulus in the unstable atmosphere. The parallel pattern persists, though, in spots with less turbulence.   What looks like “a roughened sea surface from below,” is the  “chaotic, wave-like configuration forms at the base of stratocumulus or altocumulus clouds” [The International Cloud Atlas] This cloud type is called Asperatis.

I’m not positive of this classification, but present my suggestion with information about Asperatis.

Asperitas was added to the International Cloud Atlas in 2017.  It was the first new classification of cloud in 54 years.  In 2009, the Cloud Appreciation Society petitioned the World Meteorological Association to officially name this cloud type.  Our group is referred to as “citizen scientists”.

[Sarah Sturgis]

This is a photograph taken by Eric Loz, showing a classic example of Asperatis.

[Gregory Venarsky]

I would say that those look like lacunosus or something of the sort due to the appearance of some sort of hole-like pattern within the clouds.

Regardless great capture!

Greg

[Marie Nicholls]

Thanks Greg!

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