Striped Sky Above Coquitlam, British Columbia
September 18, 2018
Photographer: Ash Parameswaran
Summary Authors: Ash Parameswaran; Jim Foster
Featured above is a rather odd cloud formation I observed over Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada, one evening this past summer. This heavily striped sky may look like densely packed contrails, but in fact, these clouds are naturally formed. They're high altitude cirrus clouds -- specifically cirrus fibratus. Found above about 20,000 ft (6,096 m), cirrus fibratus are typically oriented in the direction of the upper air wind flow and tend to form parallel, narrow rows. Though this type of cloud isn't uncommon, it's not often that the striping is so distinct. Photo taken on August 5, 2018.
Photo Details: Nikon Coolpix L20 camera; f/5.3; 1/272 second exposure; ISO 64; fl 17; 3 images stitched.
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