Behind the strange beauty of dragon scale clouds, mother of pearl clouds, tsunami clouds… are worrying omens for people about weather and climate change.

1. Lenticular clouds

Lenticular clouds are very rare, often appearing along high mountain ranges and leeward areas on mountain slopes, especially when there is a steady stream of dry and moist air flying across the mountain or hill. When the moist air layer is pushed upward and reaches a saturation point, it condenses into clouds.

Lens clouds have a spongy, layered shape and look like flying saucers from a distance. Therefore, many people often confuse them with unidentified flying objects and call them “UFO clouds”.

However, few people know that the appearance of these clouds is a warning sign of changes in the weather such as storms and floods. They usually last for about 10 – 15 minutes before the weather change occurs. At this time, the sky may appear ripples both vertically and horizontally, depending on the height of the clouds.

2. Dragon scale clouds

Mammatus clouds or “dragon scale clouds” are a meteorological term referring to strange spherical clouds around the world. These bumpy clouds are created by many small clouds gathering together, forming a large, floating, dense patch of clouds, stretching hundreds of meters in the sky.

These clouds are stacked on top of each other and intertwined, making them look like the muscular biceps of a giant athlete. According to astronomers, Mammatus clouds are a sign of major thunderstorms, accompanied by lightning during hot, warm months.

The giant clouds are the image of a large amount of water vapor in the air being condensed. Because the movement of the air layer during Mammatus clouds is extremely complex and intense, airlines recommend that aircraft not operate in this cloudy weather zone.

3. Undulatus Asperatus wavy clouds

The image of the clouds below was temporarily named Undulatus Asperatus by Gavin Pretor Pinney – founder of the Cloud Assessment Association. Understandably, these are clouds that ripple in a chaotic, strong and unusual way.

The word “ripple” sounds normal, but in fact this is a rare form of cloud . Researchers are still investigating whether this cloud is a new form or not.

But experts suspect that the messy lower surface of the Asperatus cloud may be due to strong winds stirring up previously stable layers of hot and cold air. This causes the clouds to ripple in a chaotic and unusual way.

Meanwhile, expert Pretor Pinney added: “Carefully observing these clouds can help us detect signs of global warming in the sky. They will open up answers about temperature as well as like the Earth’s future climate change”.

4. Mother of pearl clouds

Nacreous Clouds are a type of cloud formed in extremely cold areas of the lower stratosphere, at altitudes of 15,000 – 25,000m. According to the description, mother-of-pearl clouds look like thin membranes, curled up and then unfurled, spreading all over and then suddenly shrinking in the dim light and dark sky.

In conditions of extremely low temperatures (-78 degrees Celsius), clouds of many different types are formed, classified by physical state and chemical composition. The curvature of the Earth’s surface will help clouds receive light from the horizon and reflect it back to the ground, creating the phenomenon of nacreous clouds.

This phenomenon is believed to be a direct consequence of humans emitting too much methane into the air, reacting with ozone, forming chlorine clouds. The appearance of nacreous clouds is a worrying sign that the Earth is warming.

5. Kelvin-Helmholtz tsunami clouds

People call these clouds scientifically “Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds”. This is the name given to two scientists Lord Kelvin and Hermann von Helmholtz (German) when they researched and provided the most accurate explanation for this strange natural phenomenon.

Many people wonder, “Is the phenomenon of tsunami clouds in the sky a sign of disaster?”. However, scientists point out that tsunami clouds or Kelvin-Helmholtz wave clouds form when two layers of air collide, causing the wind to suddenly change speed, creating chaos. The evaporation and condensation of water vapor from under the sea when meeting the intersection of two layers of air with different thickness and lightness will create a wave effect for the clouds.

The phenomenon of ” tsunami clouds ” often appears before storms land. Large clouds often stretch for several kilometers, filling the sky. Following the ” tsunami clouds ” are heavy rains, strong winds, floods and hail .

6. Noctilucent clouds

Noctilucent Clouds are a fairly rare phenomenon, occurring in the upper part of the Earth’s atmosphere . It is made up of ice crystals and can only be seen when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon. In Latin, noctilucent means to shine in the night .

Noctilucent clouds are one of the highest cloud types in the Earth’s atmosphere, located in the mesosphere at altitudes from about 76 – 85km, even 100km. They often occur at high latitudes during the summer months and are believed to be a harbinger of climate change in the lower atmosphere.

7. Cloud hole

A Fallstreak Hole is a large circular void that appears in cirrocumulus clouds (thin, tufted, tufted clouds) or altocumulus clouds (spherical cloud masses). These holes form when the cloud water temperature is below freezing point but the water has not yet frozen due to lack of ice seeds .

When part of the cloud begins to freeze, it causes a chain effect, causing the water vapor around it to also freeze and fall. This phenomenon causes a hole, usually circular, in the middle of the cloud.

One hypothesis is that turbulence in the cloud layer (from aircraft) can trigger a chain evaporation effect and create a cloud hole. Experts say that the cloud hole phenomenon can be a harbinger of global climate change , increasing the possibility of snowfall in areas with cloud holes. However, some scientists are still skeptical about this issue.

8. Rolling clouds

Roller clouds are low, horizontal clouds that resemble a column rolling across the sky. These clouds are very rare but can appear anywhere, mainly depending on wind circulation.

The sky of Queensland – Australia is a place where rolling clouds often occur, especially around October due to the impact of sea breezes from the Cape York peninsula.

9. Funnel clouds

Funnel clouds are sometimes confused with tornadoes due to their similar shape. The mechanism for forming funnel clouds similar to tornadoes is that when wind rises in a cone shape, the clouds can move in a circular direction.

But unlike tornadoes, funnel clouds do not reach the ground but are usually only in the air. However, this could signal the beginning of a tornado if it reaches the ground and gains strength as it moves.

The phenomenon of funnel clouds has been recorded many times in the UK.

10. Virga Clouds

Virga clouds are often described as similar in appearance to jellyfish and are most noticeable when illuminated by the sun at sunset.

Virga clouds are formed when streaks of rain scatter from the underside of the cloud but evaporate before reaching the ground.

Virga clouds are often seen in deserts, where low humidity and high temperatures can cause rain to evaporate soon after being released by the clouds.