Lenticular clouds light up UK sunset skies
- Published
The skies in northern England looked surreal on Tuesday evening as they were filled with unusual lenticular clouds.
From the Latin word lenticularis meaning "lens-shaped", lenticular clouds are one of the rarest clouds, and are often mistaken for UFOs.
They are formed near mountains or hills when the air is both stable and humid. As air is blown over the mountain or hill, it produces a standing-wave pattern and these clouds form in the crest of the waves.
When illuminated by the rising or setting sun, lenticular clouds take on a unique reddish glow. Thanks to Weather Watchers for sharing these images.
A large formation of lenticular cloud was seen in Ampleforth, North Yorkshire
A cloud encounter of the third kind in Thirsk, North Yorkshire
Lenticular clouds stood out against the pink sunset in Hawes, North Yorkshire
The formations helped to provide a dramatic dusk in Darlington
Weather Watcher Bex spotted them in the skies above Ripon, North Yorkshire
A striking shot of the clouds in Darlington
The clouds appeared as a stack in Wallsend, North Tyneside
In Keswick, Cumbria, the formation took on a yellowish tone
Another shot of the clouds as they appeared in Penrith, Cumbria