Wave-like clouds form over Wyoming mountains, photos show. What causes the phenomenon?
The sky showed off over the northern Wyoming mountains, and outdoor enthusiasts couldn’t help but post photos.
Those looking west from Sheridan, Wyoming were treated to a rare spectacle on Tuesday, Dec. 6 when clouds formed in the shape of breaking ocean waves over the Big Horn mountains. Those observing the clouds shared photos they snapped of the stunning view in Facebook groups.
“Big Horn Waves,” Rachel Gordon shared in the Wyoming through The Lens Facebook group. When others asked if they could share the photos and give her credit, Gordon wrote: “Share away! They aren’t my clouds. They’re for everyone to enjoy.”
So what causes them to form in the shape of waves? It’s a rare phenomenon known as Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, named for Lord Kelvin and Hermann von Helmholtz, who studied the physics behind the formations, Cowboy State Daily reported.
It occurs when two layers of air move at different speeds, with the top layer moving faster and picking up the lower layer, the outlet reported.
It’s possible the mountains contributed to the formation, according to the Center for Science Education.
“After wind blows up and over a barrier, like a mountain, the air continues flowing through the atmosphere in a wavelike pattern,” according to an entry on the center’s website. “Complex evaporation and condensation patterns create the capped tops and cloudless troughs of the waves. These clouds form when there is a difference in the wind speed or direction between two wind currents in the atmosphere.”
This story was originally published December 8, 2022 at 6:24 PM with the headline "Wave-like clouds form over Wyoming mountains, photos show. What causes the phenomenon?."
