NASA'S picture of the day (stunning)

[Playinghardball]

Roll Cloud Over Uruguay
Explanation: What kind of cloud is this? A roll cloud. These rare long clouds may form near advancing cold fronts. In particular, a downdraft from an advancing storm front can cause moist warm air to rise, cool below its dew point, and so form a cloud. When this happens uniformly along an extended front, a roll cloud may form. Roll clouds may actually have air circulating along the long horizontal axis of the cloud. A roll cloud is not thought to be able to morph into a tornado. Unlike a similar shelf cloud, a roll cloud, a type of Arcus cloud, is completely detached from their parent cumulonimbus cloud. Pictured above, a roll cloud extends far into the distance in 2009 January above Las Olas Beach in Maldonado, Uruguay.

[niyad]

1. beautiful--thank you for posting.

[petronius]

2. Very cool; thanks for posting! (nt)

[SidDithers]

3. Very cool...

another interesting one is a hole-punch cloud, formed when some freaky things happen with ice crystals and condensation.



Sid

[Benton D Struckcheon]

4. Wow.

That is seriously weird. I'd be diving into the basement with my tin hat on if I saw that.

[Aerows]

5. Gorgeous

Beautiful beach.

[Curmudgeoness]

6. Seeing that would be unsettling.

It is beautiful, but it is something that I would have no idea what was coming.

[L0oniX]

7. Chem trail?

[cyberswede]

8. I saw one once on my way to work.

It was fascinating - I called people to ask if they could see it, too. When I got to work, people were buzzing about it.

The coolest thing was seeing it from different angles as I drove the 15 miles to work. It started out in front if me, and as my position moved (as well as the cloud's, I presume) it was above me, and then behind me. It was remarkable. I wish I'd had a camera.

[The Straight Story]

9. Looks like a giant joint

[midnight]

10. K&R