UK: Rare ‘UFO clouds’ spotted


Residents of northern areas in the UK have witnessed an astonishing sight in the sky. While these sightings might seem like unidentified flying objects, they are actually lenticular clouds, also known as UFO or pancake clouds, which are caused by a chain of atmospheric circumstances. These clouds display the most impressive views when viewed near to sunrise or sunset and illuminated by the low sun. The clouds require the right weather patterns to emerge, and are relatively uncommon in the UK.

The meteorological term for these clouds is altocumulus lenticularis, which means “lens-shaped”, accurately describing their shape. To see them in the UK, the country must be on the border of a high-pressure area, with a substantial wind blowing at a right angle to a hill or mountain range. High-pressure areas create a marginally warmer level of air higher up in the atmosphere, which acts as an invisible ceiling.

If that ceiling covers the tops of the hills, the fast-flowing wind pushes downwind of the hills. In the top part of these bounces, clouds can form in the form of a cap, which can sometimes stack several clouds on top of each other, resembling stacks of pancakes. On Thursday and Friday mornings, south-westerly winds moved the clouds to the north-east of the Grampians, the Highlands, and Pennines.

These clouds are set to become a more usual sight this weekend because high pressure is still nearby, and a strong wind is likely in Northern and Western parts of the UK. Due to a minor shift in wind direction, the areas with the highest chance of witnessing this fantastic sight are around Moray, north Cumbria, and possibly North Wales

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