CLOUDSHIPS OVER MT. RAINIER----
December 5-8, 2008
Western Washington State
Aaarch
Mount Rainier Puts on a Holiday Light Show: UFO-Like Cloud Formations Give "Peak/Peek(?)" Experience
By Scott Sistek-KOMO-TV Reporter
Our little dry streak is about to come to an end. But if you looked at Mt. Rainier today, you would have known that already.
Take a look at some of these incredible clouds captured over Mt. Rainier today. The one above was taken by Tim Thompson. The one below, by David Embrey:
Those are called "lenticular" (vehicular?) clouds. They're caused when the air flow is just right so when it flows over Mt. Rainier, the air gets pushed upward where it cools and condenses into clouds. Depending on how smooth the flow is, you can get some rare, amazing clouds formations as we've seen so far today. Here is more information on what causes them from an earlier blog entry.
It's usually a sign of rain within 24 hours because typically the moist flow that precedes a storm around here is the perfect set up for these clouds.
Here are some other ones submitted into YouNews (Feel free to submit your own!)
From YouNews contributor: Corgis4ever in Monroe, WA:
Orca86 from Orting, WA:
User Samich in Sammamish, WA:
"emcleod3" of Gig Harbor:
kazw37 from Orting, WA:
And these two by "Fi-Bll-fe" in Fife, WA:
And these next three are from Peter Murray of Vashon Island, WA:
And finally, one by user "knitterbread" of Sumner, WA"
Note: The first major UFO sighting in America of the mid-twentieth century was in 1947 near Mt. Rainier.