An Ocean in the Sky

Clouds tend to be relatively flat or slightly curved on the bottom. Well, asperatus clouds aren’t like most clouds. Also known as undulatus asperatus clouds, which translates roughly to turbulent waves, these hovering masses of water particles oftentimes seem to reach down towards the ground with dramatic and seemingly artistic waves and curls. Recently named in 2009 for their wavy undersides, asperatus clouds are mysterious by nature. Since they are seen so rarely, that their origins remain somewhat of an unknown and they are the first new clouds to be named since 1951.

There is a current notion that they stem from lenticular clouds which are commonly found near mountain ranges or possibly mammatus clouds which are closely affiliated with thunderstorms. They are frequently documented in the United States’ Great Plains which supports the mammatus theory since the American Midwest has some of the most frequent and intense thunderstorms and cloud formations in the world. Another claim is that asperatus clouds could be formed from foehn wind, which is a dry wind that drifts off of mountain ranges, usually on the opposite side of a cold rainstorm.

Some people believe that the clouds’ uncommon sightings is evidence that they are new types of clouds; either products of climate change or another natural or unnatural source. More likely however, they are just rare in nature and with the recent surge in smart phones, they are just being documented more than previously before. With that said, there is still a lot to be learned about asperatus clouds and their origins. One thing is for sure though; their mystery will intrigue many of our eyes enough to stay glued to the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of the clouds’ uniquely gothic and dramatic appearance.