Monte Viso, Italy
November 01, 2019
Photographer: Piero Armando
Summary Authors: Piero Armando; Jim Foster
Monte Viso, at 12,602 ft (3,841 m), is the tallest peak in the Cottian Alps of northwestern Italy. Its iconic pyramid shape is easily recognized from Turin, approximately 25 miles (40 km) to the northeast. But on the morning of October 25 (2019), Monte Viso appeared even more attention-getting. After several days of stormy weather, its freshly snow-capped peak was crowned with a triple ring of clouds. These orographic clouds form when moist air forced up the flanks of a mountain cools sufficiently for condensation to occur. Once formed, they often remain more or less stationary for several hours.
Photo Details: Canon EOS 600D camera; 1/3200 second exposure; ISO 200; f/7.1; 235 mm focal length.