Comments on: A Very Unusual Contrail

By: czygyny

czygyny — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:59:11 +0000

We see a lot of lenticular clouds over our Mt. Shasta…awesome. I have some good images of pileus, too.

Thanks to your site I now know a new term, ‘distrail’…and I now know what caused this line in this cirrus undulatus:

http://mitsymarx.smugmug.com/Weather/That-Big-Beautiful-Sky/cirrus-undulatus-02/834325815_2iwst-X2.jpg

By: JFDee

JFDee — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 06:16:38 +0000

I figure they could count as “aerodynamic clouds” …

By: captfitch

captfitch — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:38:27 +0000

I absolutely love those clouds but man they can be dangerous! I associate them with standing lenticulars in terms of creation and appearance.

By: Uncinus

Uncinus — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:09:31 +0000

The photo is also used as an example on the wikipedia article on Pileus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pileus_(meteorology)

By: czygyny

czygyny — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 00:01:49 +0000

I see this is an old thread, but I am curious if the cloud at the top of the volcanic plume might be considered a pileus cloud such as forms on towering cumulonimbus?

Actually I just verified that statement by this Wikipedia photo revealing the cap as pileus:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sarychev_peak_eruption.jpg

Awesome image, as is the Amsterdam Island image showing the vortices downwind of terrain…I like!

I am afforded great views of the sky and surrounded on three sides with tall mountains making it an orographic ‘undulatus’ heaven.