Undalatus Asperatus, sounds like a medical term or the chemical name for asparagus. Well, at least to me. However, these two words could be joining cumulus, nimbus, stratus, and cirrus; the cloud types that have not been tampered with since 1951. Undalatus Asperatus are Latin words which translate to agitated waves.
Recently, as more and more people are using camera phones, pictures and videos of such clouds are continuously being posted on the internet. They have been seen all over the globe and have been very common in the Plains states. These unusual, wave-like, ominous clouds are commonly seen in the morning or midday hours after a thunderstorm. As the clouds gained more and more popularity in 2009, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of “The Cloud Appreciation Society” started to work with “The Royal Meteorological Society” to promote the naming of this new cloud type. Scientists found themselves arguing over the new classification as some thought there was no need to add another classification to the list that they believe cover the whole spectrum of clouds.
The new name has been recognized, however it has not joined the classification list as of yet. The debate continues, but take a look at the pictures for yourself from the Midwest, and even New Zealand here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2009/jun/01/2?picture=348217732#/?picture=348217732&index=0
Also, check out these clouds in motion on our Wild Weather page, http://wearecentralpa.com/wildweather! The video is called “Waves in the sky? Who knew?”
- Weather Intern Jacqueline Layer
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