What are Lens Clouds? (Altocumulus lenticularis)
Lens clouds are saucer, lens or lentil-shaped clouds that form when wind blows moist air over mountains. Their formal name is Altocumulus lenticularis (lenticula means…
Tag: weather
EasyJet Calms Orographic Storms
My thanks to all the team at the Mosto Festival in Italy for organising such a fun event based around the theme of water. I…
What is a Distrail?
A distrail is the clear path through a cloud formed in the wake of an aircraft. Distrails form because the aircraft turns the water droplets…
Nature’s Clues and Signs – Tarn, France
Here’s my selection following a short visit to friends in the Tarn region of southern France. Stately Homes The older, bigger and grander a building…
Wind Against Tide – A Sign of Choppy Water
The yacht is on a ‘swing mooring’ and will swing with the tide. This shows us that the water is flowing from right to left.…
Three Generations of Nature Readers
My thanks to Kareem Dieng and his family for reading my books. That’s Kareem with The Secret World of Weather, ‘Pops’ reading Lost Art of…
Saharan Dust Moon Halo
There was a 22 Degree halo around the moon a couple of nights ago. This is a sign of cirrostratus, a high veil of icy…
What is a Wind Shadow?
A wind shadow is a place where the wind doesn’t reach. There is a calm, sheltered zone on the downwind side of all obstacles, a…
A Plein-Air Artists’ Manual
One of the great joys of natural navigation is that it intrigues such a wide variety of people, something it shares with food. We can’t…