Satellite Imagery of Clouds

Listed
here
are
different
clouds
formations
as
seen
on
satellite
imagery.

Actinoform
cloud

It
was
the
launch
of
the
first
weather
satellite,
NASA’s TIROS-5,
that
revealed
the
existence
of

actinoform
clouds.
Actinoform
clouds
are
extremely
large
clouds
that
form
over
the

open
ocean,
making
them
hard
to
see
from
the
ground.
On
satellite
image,
these
clouds
have
a
ray-like
appearance
(‘actino’
is
derived
from
the
Greek
word
for
ray).

Anvil
cloud

Anvil
clouds,
also
known
as
cumulonimbus
incus,
get
their
name
from
their
shape
that
resembles
a
blacksmith’s
anvil:
a
broad
and
flat
shape
that
tapers
towards
one
end.
Anvil
clouds
form
when
moisture-laden
air
from
a
thunderstorm
rises
to
the
tropopause,
the
atmospheric
boundary
between
the
troposphere
and
the
stratosphere.
The
cloud
formation
flattens
at
this
boundary
and
spreads
out
horizontally.

Overshooting
tops

Domelike
protrusions
above
the
flat
surface
of
an
anvil
cloud
are
called
overshooting
tops.
The
tops
form
when
fast-rising
air
from
a
strong
thunderstorm
travels
up
through
the
anvil
cloud
and
spills
out
over
the
top
of
the
cloud.
These
updrafts
often
co-occur
with
strong
winds,
lightning,
hail,
and
tornadoes.

This
Terra
satellite
image
shows
an
anvil
cloud
with
an
overshooting
top
off
the
coast
of
Louisiana
and
Mississippi
in
the
Gulf
Coast
region
of
the
Untied
States.

Lenticular
cloud

Lenticular
clouds
form
when
moisture-heavy
moving
air
meets
a
physical
barrier,
like
a
mountain,
and
is
forced
upward.
Moisture
in
the
rising
air
forms
clouds
as
it
is
pushed
higher
and
the
air
cools,
dropping
the
dew
point.
These
clouds
form
parallel
to
the

mountains
and
are
often
longer
than
they
are
wider.
The
name
lenticular
is
named
after
the
lentil
shape
of
these
clouds.

Wave
cloud

Wave
clouds
are
a
type
of
undular
bore
that
form
when
a
disturbance
in
the
atmosphere,
like
a
cold
front,
creates
waves
of
air.
The
wave
clouds
form
at
the
crest
of
the
waves,
creating
a
striated
pattern
of
long,
thing
clouds
on
satellite
imagery.

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Author: Caitlin Dempsey