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I would love an explanation of what kind of cloud this is and how it was formed.
Wendy (Layton)
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The photo actually comes from another viewer nearby in Kasyville, but this photo is awesome!
This is a Altocumulus Standing Lenticular cloud (ACSL). Usually, they aren't this long but they can be. Lenticular clouds are called such because they typically are lens shaped. Sometimes they look like space ships and people get a little freaked out. We use the word "standing" because air is flowing through them and they just sit there over a mountain. They can stick around for hours at a time.
Winds near the ridgetop blow perpendicular to the orientation of the mountains. When looking at clouds like this, it's a good indication that very fast moving air is moving over the mountain. Then we know there's a mountain wave there and aircrafts should definitely stay away.
Answered by KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman.
