The sky above the Poprad district recently offered people a breathtaking show. Local residents had the opportunity to observe a captivating natural phenomenon – lenticular clouds, which are professionally known by the name altocumulus lenticularis, . A visually attractive celestial phenomenon is formed only when there is an interplay of very specific conditions in the atmosphere.
- Beneath the Tatras, lenticular clouds called altocumulus lenticularis.
- The phenomenon was captured by a photographer in Liptovská Teplička and published on social networks.
- They only occur under very specific atmospheric conditions.
Photographer Daniela managed to take fascinating pictures of clouds in Liptovská Teplice, which she later published in the Facebook group . Interestingly, they have a very specific structure. The windward side is characterized by sharply cut and firm contours, while the leeward side appears frayed and lost in space.
These clouds put on a real visual show, especially during sunset. The sun’s rays can make them glow in deep pink to orange shades, which makes them resemble alien ships.
How do these clouds form?
The magic of this phenomenon lies in its origin, behind which physical processes stand. The entire development takes place in three steps:
- Hitting an obstacle: A stable and moist air mass moves through the landscape until it hits a mountain massif, ridges or high hills.
- Wind Ripple: The mountain barrier forces the wind to rise sharply, and after overcoming it, the flow becomes undulating.
- Birth of a Cloud: In the rising parts of these invisible air waves, water vapor condenses, giving rise to the characteristic shape of the lens.
Although when viewed from the ground it may seem that the clouds are frozen in one place and do not move at all, appearances are deceiving. The truth is that there is a constant cycle inside them, with water immediately condensing on one side of the cloud and evaporating on the other side.
Although it is not a complete anomaly in our region, their occurrence is strictly conditioned by the current weather. You can most often notice these clouds in the mountainous areas above the High and Low Tatras.
