Lenticular Cloud

I had seen something like that odd cloud in my Petersons First Guide for Clouds and Weather, so I knew is was special. My camera was packed in my take on luggage so I quickly took it out and began snapping photos before we flew too far away. I was high above Arizona, flying to California last fall, as I marveled at the strange cloud just off the wing of my plane.

Once home I was able to Google “lens-shaped white space ship cloud” and found it was called a Lenticular cloud. They don’t float away like most clouds but remain stationary over mountain ranges or large mountains, even though they are formed by strong winds forced over the mountains. They do disappear or rather evaporate when the moist air that created them moves back down.

It looked like a space ship checking out my airplane and I was thankful that a gremlin didn’t hop out onto the wing and begin tearing it apart. Just seeing it was enough of a Twilight Zone experience for me.

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