Lenticular Clouds Above Murrieta, California

April 24, 2017

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Photographer: Mark Ritter
Summary Authors: Mark Ritter; Jim Foster

Featured above are a formation of eye-catching lenticular clouds (Altocumulus lenticularis) seen near sunset, not far from Murrieta, California. Strong airflow over mountain crests, in this case, the Santa Ana Mountains (just off the left edge of the photo), prompted these mid-level, orographic wave clouds to form on the lee side of the range. Since sufficient moisture was available to form clouds, and since the airflow aloft was quite strong, layers of clouds at the wave crest stacked one upon the other. Photo taken on January 5, 2017.

Photo Details: Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark III; Lens: EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM; Focal Length: 55mm; Aperture: ƒ/7.1; Exposure Time: 0.0063 s (1/160); ISO equiv: 1250; Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.8 (Macintosh).

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