Look Up and Notice the Waves

Photo taken at Cedar Falls, Iowa. Altocumulus stratiformis, Copyright 2022, Craig Johnson, Weather Briefing, LC

Our atmosphere is always in motion. If you fly regularly you know the air is not always smooth. Quite often there are bumps to contend with as air currents rise and fall or turn. The clouds above look like waves. The waves are similar to what we see on a lake or in a stream. Boats moving through waves bob up and down. So do aircraft when they encounter waves. It is called turbulence.

The clouds in the photo above are in the mid-levels between 6,500 and 20,000 feet above the ground. Waves on the left are distinct with definite areas of cloud with blue sky in between. To the right, the waves are embedded within a smoother cloud layer. Look for mid-level clouds to see if you can find wavy clouds.

These clouds are altocumulus (high cumulus). Cumulus are low clouds but mid-level cumulus are called high cumulus; or officially, altocumulus. And since these clouds are embedded within a layer of flat (stratus) clouds they are altocumulus stratiformis; mid-level cumulus in a stratus-like formation.

Be sure to look up every day, or several times a day if possible. The sky may change in a matter of minutes.