Sometimes precipitation falls from a cloud without ever reaching the ground. This can happen when rain or snow dissipates as it falls through warm or dry air. The result is virga, a feature that resembles a tail hanging from the underside of a cloud, like this sky full of Altocumulus stratiformis virga spotted above Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia by Phil Roxburgh (Member 65,024). Virga often appear slanted or curved sideways as their drops or ice crystals pass through differing winds. But Phil’s virga look particularly straight. The winds must have been consistent all the way as the trails extended down from the base of the clouds. It was an effect Phil described as ‘the dance of the veils’.
Monday 6th April 2026
April 6, 2026