January 27, 2011

Mt. Rainier time lapse video of lenticular clouds

Yesterday I noticed some cool clouds up on Mount Rainier on my way to work. So did this camera.

TacomaWeatherCam.com captured this great video of lenticular clouds over Mt. Rainier on Jan. 26, 2011.



According to Komo 4 News the clouds are actually very common.

The cloud is formed when warm, moist air runs into the surface of Mt. Rainier. The mountain's topography forces the air upward, which cools and condenses the air -- turning it into a cloud.

As the air sinks back on the other side of the mountain, it dries out and the cloud dissipates. That's why it just hangs over the summit area.

Although it looks like it is "hanging" over the mountain, air is continually flowing over the summit, as the video proves.

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