Clouds of the Day - A Flare for the Dramatic -Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Talk about a flare for the dramatic! These Cirrus fibratus are being stretched out by strong winds aloft moving from the bottom to the top of the photo.

This photo was shot directly into the Sun which reveals the star-like pattern caused by the sunlight interaction with the camera lens. The layer cloud in the center of the photo is Cirrostratus.

The series of clouds below show some of the beautiful and dramatic cloud formations that form at the cirrus cloud levels above 16,500 feet above sea level. The first photo on the upper left is of a CONTRAIL that has produced cloud streamers (Virga) which are falling ice crystals. The Cirrus fibratus, Cirrus, and Cirrus uncinus in the upper right photo decorate the entire photo frame as ice crystals form and fall in a variety of patterns due to changing wind direction and speeds aloft and falling ice crystals creating streamers.

A CONTRAIL morphed into this unusual formation of ice streamers.

Cirrus uncinus, Cirrus, and Cirrus fibratus are all found in this photo.

Altocumulus cumulogenitus

Cirrofibratus and cirrostratus lower left to upper right. Altocumulus castellanus are across the bottom.

Cirrus uncinus (hook shaped) and Cirrus fibratus

Cirrus debris create a “dashed” cloudline in the upper part of this photo. Other Cirrus and altostratus appear the the bottom of this photo.