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10 Rare Cloud Formations - The List Universe

listverse.com — This is a list of what I believe to be the top 10 rarest cloud formations. And a brief description of each. No particular order in how ‘rare’ they are though.

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  • Anglemona, on 10/18/2007, -3/+010 Rare Cloud Formations
    1. Nacreous Clouds, in winter at high latitudes, Scandinavia, Alaska, Northern Canada. Lower level iridescent clouds can be seen anywhere.
    2. Mammatus Clouds, In fact, mammatus are usually seen after the worst of a thunderstorm has passed.
    3. Altocumulus Castelanus, The top of the cloud rises into a jellyfish shape and long tentacles known as “trailing virga” form from rain drops that have evaporated
    4. Noctilucent Clouds, This is an extroadinarily rare cloud formation that occurs out on the verge of space between 82km to 102 km from the earth’s surface.
    5. Mushroom Clouds, A mushroom cloud is a distinctive mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke, condensed water vapor, or debris resulting from a very large explosion. They are most commonly associated with nuclear explosions, but any sufficiently large blast will produce the same sort of effect. Volcano eruptions and impact events can produce natural mushroom clouds.
    6. Cirrus Kelvin-Helmholtz, cirrus Kelvin-Helmholtz is one of the most distinctive cloud formations. However, it tends to dissipate only a minute or two after forming and, as a result, is rarely observed.
    7. Lenticular Clouds, Lenticular clouds, technically known as altocumulus standing lenticularis, are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes, normally aligned at right-angles to the wind direction.
    8. Roll Clouds, This outflow undercuts warm air being drawn into the storm’s updraft. As the cool air lifts the warm moist air water condenses creating cloud, which often rolls with the different winds above and below wind shear.
    9. Shelf Clouds, Rising cloud motion often can be seen in the leading (outer) part of the shelf cloud, while the underside often appears turbulent, boiling, and wind-torn.
    10. Stratocumulus Clouds, While it is not uncommon for wind to form such patterns in stratocumulus clouds, photos that clearly show the clouds rolled into strips are rare, says the observatory.
  • AliasHandler, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Beautiful pictures.
  • crossers, on 07/05/2008, -0/+0nice! I like pictures!
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    http://www.trgovinca.org
    http://www.chasr.org/
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