Gravity Wave Clouds

June 29, 2006

Shannonwave

Provided by: Shannon L. Story, StoryLine Ink
Summary authors & editors: Lin Chambers; Shannon L. Story

The gravity waves shown above paint an overcast cloud deck in northern Texas. This striking photograph was taken in Weatherford, Texas on Oct. 6, 2005, around 12:30 p.m.(local time). A cold front was moving through the area, and there was a strong inversion in the temperature profile of the atmosphere (warmer above the surface than at the surface). Strong stability and vertical wind shear existed at about the level where the clouds occurred. These waves are similar to waves that would form on the surface of a lake.

Related Links: