Beauty on the brink of fantasy: where you can see lenticular clouds

The first necessary condition for the formation of lenticular clouds is the presence of mountain massifs. Therefore, it is possible to observe this wonderful atmospheric phenomenon in mountainous regions around the globe. Lenticular clouds are most often recorded in Kamchatka, in the USA, in Japan, for example, over Mount Fuji, where they look particularly picturesque.

Lenticular clouds form in the surface layers of the atmosphere, in the troposphere, at an altitude of 2 to 7 km. The nature of this mysterious phenomenon is not fully understood. As scientists believe, their occurrence is associated with the approach of a powerful atmospheric front or strong horizontal airflows. Air masses saturated with moisture meet on their way an obstacle in the form of mountain peaks. Bending the obstacle, the air mass rises, moisture condenses, and clouds of whimsical shape are formed.

If you observe the clouds for a long time, it seems that they are still. In fact, their visible component is unchanged, and the clouds themselves are in a constant process of formation and destruction. On the windward side of the mountain obstacle, new air masses are constantly supplied, saturated with water vapor, and clouds form.

Occasionally, lenticular clouds can be found near powerful thunderclouds, which also serve as an obstacle in the movement of air masses. And if for tourists and photographers the appearance of lenticular clouds is always an interesting and delightful event, the pilots of aircraft try to fly them at a distance. Such clouds are a threat to airplanes, as turbulence is often observed in such conditions.