Where in the world am I most likely to see stacked lenticular clouds?
Lenticular clouds form when air flows over a topographical feature such as a mountain. Moisture is forced out of the air into the form of a cloud as the air rises over the land feature and then returns back to the vapor form as the air descends down the other side. This leads to a stationary cloud even though the air is steadily flowing.
The most spectacular form of these clouds occurs when the water vapor levels in the air are striated before crossing over the topographical feature. In this case the lenticular clouds form a set of stacked clouds that are sometimes called 'pancake' or 'UFO' clouds. A rather spectacular version of this type of cloud is shown in the image below. More information on various cloud types is available in part 3 of this Open Yale lecture.
My question is: Where in the world can I go to have a reasonable likelihood of seeing these cloud structures in person?
Best Answer
This may or may not help...I have heard people seeing these clouds at Mt Rainier and the Rocky Mountains - they seem to be more commonly sighted in the USA.
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Where are lenticular clouds most commonly found?
Lenticular clouds (Latin: Lenticularis lentil-shaped, from lenticula lentil) are stationary clouds that form mostly in the troposphere, typically in parallel alignment to the wind direction. They are often comparable in appearance to a lens or saucer.How common are lenticular clouds?
They are quite unusual in the British Isles but do occasionally occur. They look a lot like the traditional shape of flying saucers in science fiction, and real lenticular clouds are believed to be one of the most common explanations for UFO sightings across the world.What weather is associated with lenticular clouds?
Characterized for their "lens" shape and seemingly stable, motionless appearance. From a forecast perspective they indicate a strong flow of wind aloft, and will typically bring a downsloping wind to the Front Range and a big temperature boost.What are stacked clouds called?
Lenticular clouds are also known as orographic clouds, which is a fancy word for 'mountain'. They are also referred to as lennies in the weather community. Stacked lenticular clouds, classified as altocumulus lenticularis duplicatus, are stacked like pancakes and wonderfully photogenic.Altocumulus lenticularis (Lenticular Clouds) stationary lens-shaped clouds
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