CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Contrasting types of rare clouds were spotted in West Virginia on Sunday.
In north central West Virginia’s mountains, several people reported seeing lenticular clouds, which are sometimes called “flying saucer” or “stack of pancakes” due to their distinct lens or saucer-like shape. Lenticular clouds, like the ones shown in these photos taken in Elkins on Sunday, April 14, are formed when fast-moving air is forced over a hill or mountain.
Although the air in the clouds is moving quickly, the clouds appear to float in the air completely still. Lenticular clouds are normally an indicator of good weather because they form when the atmosphere is a relatively stable, according to the National Weather Service.
On the other hand, mammatus clouds like the ones shown in the photo below, which was taken in Ritchie County on Sunday, are associated with storms and active weather. The rare, bubbling clouds form on the underside of cumulonimbus clouds or storm clouds.
StormTracker 12 Chief Meteorologist Justin Kiefer said that although there weren’t major storms in that area of West Virginia on Sunday, the clouds might have been an indicator of the severe storms that went through the Pittsburgh area Sunday evening.
Although rare, mammatus clouds are not super uncommon in West Virginia. Last year, a viewer in Quiet Dell shared breathtaking photos of mammatus clouds during a sunset.
If you have a photo you think 12 News should see, you can email it to news@wboy.com.
