Watch as winds create mesmerizing fields of gravity wave clouds
Winds blowing over mountain ranges can create some otherworldly displays in the sky
Winds blowing over the Appalachian Mountains on Wednesday created a dazzling display of gravity waves in the nearby clouds.
The phenomenon is a spectacular example of how terrain can influence the weather in interesting and photogenic ways.
RELATED: Satellites can 'see' the turbulence that your next flight may hit
Gravity waves are ripples in the atmosphere caused by winds pushed up and down as they blow along. This undulating motion can continue for hundreds of kilometres downwind from the initial disruption—anything from a mountain range to a thunderstorm’s updraft.
Winds rise and fall through this gentle wave pattern as they blow across the landscape. Air cools as it rises into the crests of these waves, condensing the moisture within into a strip of clouds at each crest in the wave sequence.
It’s common to see gravity waves develop downwind of mountain ranges as a storm system passes through the region. When conditions are just right on the East Coast, defined ripples in the clouds can stretch from New Brunswick all the way south into Georgia.
Powerful thunderstorms and hurricanes can also cause distinct gravity waves within the storm’s high-level clouds. These formations occur when updrafts slam into the tropopause, causing ripples that act much like a stone dropped into a pond.
Header image of gravity wave clouds taken by the author in Feb. 2023.