And Suddenly The Sky Became Ocean: Incredible Pictures Of Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds Transforming Sky Into A Surfer Paradise

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Has anybody ever tried to surf in the sky? Look at these monster waves!

These wild waves in this weird sunrise sky have been spotted over Germany. And this weird sky phenomenon is called a Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud instability! Amazing nature!

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds weird, waves in the sky, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds transform sky into ocean, waves in the sky, How Kelvin Helmholtz clouds form. A Kelvin Helmholtz instability forms where there’s a velocity difference across the interface between two fluids: for example, wind blowing over water. You’ll often see the characteristic wave structure in this type of cloud when two different layers of air in our atmosphere are moving at different speeds. The upper layers of air are moving at higher speeds and will often scoop the top of the cloud layer into these wave-like rolling structures.  The clouds often form on windy days, when there’s a difference in densities of the air, for exmaple, during a temperature inversion.  These clouds are often good indicators of atmospheric instability and the presence of turbulence for aircraft.

On January 2015, the German sky was covered by weird wave-shaped clouds… And they baffled pretty much every workers that had seen them.

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds weird, waves in the sky, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds transform sky into ocean, waves in the sky, How Kelvin Helmholtz clouds form. A Kelvin Helmholtz instability forms where there’s a velocity difference across the interface between two fluids: for example, wind blowing over water. You’ll often see the characteristic wave structure in this type of cloud when two different layers of air in our atmosphere are moving at different speeds. The upper layers of air are moving at higher speeds and will often scoop the top of the cloud layer into these wave-like rolling structures.  The clouds often form on windy days, when there’s a difference in densities of the air, for exmaple, during a temperature inversion.  These clouds are often good indicators of atmospheric instability and the presence of turbulence for aircraft.

 

As if the sky had transformed into a mighty ocean.

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds weird, waves in the sky, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds transform sky into ocean, waves in the sky, How Kelvin Helmholtz clouds form. A Kelvin Helmholtz instability forms where there’s a velocity difference across the interface between two fluids: for example, wind blowing over water. You’ll often see the characteristic wave structure in this type of cloud when two different layers of air in our atmosphere are moving at different speeds. The upper layers of air are moving at higher speeds and will often scoop the top of the cloud layer into these wave-like rolling structures.  The clouds often form on windy days, when there’s a difference in densities of the air, for exmaple, during a temperature inversion.  These clouds are often good indicators of atmospheric instability and the presence of turbulence for aircraft.

This is a rare phenomenon called Kelvin-Helmholtz instability or Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds.

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds weird, waves in the sky, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds transform sky into ocean, waves in the sky, How Kelvin Helmholtz clouds form. A Kelvin Helmholtz instability forms where there’s a velocity difference across the interface between two fluids: for example, wind blowing over water. You’ll often see the characteristic wave structure in this type of cloud when two different layers of air in our atmosphere are moving at different speeds. The upper layers of air are moving at higher speeds and will often scoop the top of the cloud layer into these wave-like rolling structures.  The clouds often form on windy days, when there’s a difference in densities of the air, for exmaple, during a temperature inversion.  These clouds are often good indicators of atmospheric instability and the presence of turbulence for aircraft.

A Kelvin Helmholtz instability forms where there’s a velocity difference across the interface between two fluids: for example, wind blowing over water.

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds weird, waves in the sky, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds transform sky into ocean, waves in the sky, How Kelvin Helmholtz clouds form. A Kelvin Helmholtz instability forms where there’s a velocity difference across the interface between two fluids: for example, wind blowing over water. You’ll often see the characteristic wave structure in this type of cloud when two different layers of air in our atmosphere are moving at different speeds. The upper layers of air are moving at higher speeds and will often scoop the top of the cloud layer into these wave-like rolling structures.  The clouds often form on windy days, when there’s a difference in densities of the air, for exmaple, during a temperature inversion.  These clouds are often good indicators of atmospheric instability and the presence of turbulence for aircraft.

The characteristic wave structure in this type of cloud often occurs when two different layers of air in our atmosphere are moving at different speeds.

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds weird, waves in the sky, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds transform sky into ocean, waves in the sky, How Kelvin Helmholtz clouds form. A Kelvin Helmholtz instability forms where there’s a velocity difference across the interface between two fluids: for example, wind blowing over water. You’ll often see the characteristic wave structure in this type of cloud when two different layers of air in our atmosphere are moving at different speeds. The upper layers of air are moving at higher speeds and will often scoop the top of the cloud layer into these wave-like rolling structures.  The clouds often form on windy days, when there’s a difference in densities of the air, for exmaple, during a temperature inversion.  These clouds are often good indicators of atmospheric instability and the presence of turbulence for aircraft.

The upper layers of air are moving at higher speeds and will often scoop the top of the cloud layer into these wave-like rolling structures.

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds weird, waves in the sky, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds transform sky into ocean, waves in the sky, How Kelvin Helmholtz clouds form. A Kelvin Helmholtz instability forms where there’s a velocity difference across the interface between two fluids: for example, wind blowing over water. You’ll often see the characteristic wave structure in this type of cloud when two different layers of air in our atmosphere are moving at different speeds. The upper layers of air are moving at higher speeds and will often scoop the top of the cloud layer into these wave-like rolling structures.  The clouds often form on windy days, when there’s a difference in densities of the air, for exmaple, during a temperature inversion.  These clouds are often good indicators of atmospheric instability and the presence of turbulence for aircraft.

 

he clouds often form on windy days, when there’s a difference in densities of the air, for exmaple, during a temperature inversion.  These clouds are often good indicators of atmospheric instability and the presence of turbulence for aircraft.

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds weird, waves in the sky, Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds transform sky into ocean, waves in the sky, How Kelvin Helmholtz clouds form. A Kelvin Helmholtz instability forms where there’s a velocity difference across the interface between two fluids: for example, wind blowing over water. You’ll often see the characteristic wave structure in this type of cloud when two different layers of air in our atmosphere are moving at different speeds. The upper layers of air are moving at higher speeds and will often scoop the top of the cloud layer into these wave-like rolling structures.  The clouds often form on windy days, when there’s a difference in densities of the air, for exmaple, during a temperature inversion.  These clouds are often good indicators of atmospheric instability and the presence of turbulence for aircraft.

Amazing weather phenomenon!

This rare phenomenon also occurred in the US a few years ago.

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