Fwd: Some really interesting weather images.

Some really interesting images



 
 
 
 
 

1.

  Brinicle

 
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Brinicles
are the underwater equivalent of icicles.  A brine from the sea ice sinks, a 'brinicle' forms threatening life on the sea floorwith a frosty fate.
 
2.
Volcanic lightning
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Volcanic
plumes produce immense amounts of electrical charge and static.
In rare cases, this can spark a violent lightning storm.
 
3.
Sprites, Elves and Blue Jets
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These
colourful shapes are the result of electrical discharges in the atmosphere.
 
4.
Fire Rainbows
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Fire
Rainbows are formed by light reflecting from ice crystals in high level
clouds.The halos are so large, they often appear parallel to the horizon.
 
5.
White rainbows
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These
rainbows form in fog, rather than rain.The condensation reflects little light,
and as a result, the rainbow is made up of very weak colors like white rather
than the vibrant colors of a traditional rainbow.
 
6.
Fire Whirls
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Fire
whirls are whirlwinds of flame.They occur when intense heat and turbulent wind
conditions combine.
 
7.
Catatumbo Lightning
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At
the mouth of the Catatumbo River in Venezuela, a very unique mass of storm
clouds swirl, creating the rare spectacle known as Catatumbo lightning. The
storm occurs up to 160 nights a year, 10 hours per day and 280 times an
hour.
 
8.
Moonbow
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Moonbows
are rainbows produced by light reflected off the surface of the
moon,rather than the sun. Due to the small amount of light reflected off the moon, moonbows are quite faint.
 
9.
Glory
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A
glory is an optical phenomenon, similar to a rainbow, that resembles a
halo. It occurs when light tunnels through air inside rain droplets and emit the light
backwards. Yes, that's as crazy as it sounds
 
10.
Waterspouts
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Waterspouts
are vortexes, which occur over a body of water. No water is sucked in and the
spout is made entirely from water given off by condensation.
 
11.
Morning Glory
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Morning
Glory clouds are incredibly rare, so much so, that we don't
know what causes them. They're most commonly seen at fall in the small town of Burketown in Australia .
 
12.
Lenticular Clouds
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Lenticular
clouds are lens-shaped clouds that form when moist air flows over a mountain and
piles into large and layered clouds. Due to their strange shape, these clouds
are often mistaken for UFOs
 
13.
Penitentes
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Penitentes
are tall, thin blades of hardened snow and ice that form at high altitudes. At
such a height, the sun’s rays are able to turn ice into water vapor without
melting it first. Some areas randomly turn into vapor more quickly than others,
forming depressions in the smooth surface. Over time, they transform into jagged
fields which face the same direction as the sun.
 
14.
Supercells
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Supercells
are the rarest and most dangerous type of storms. While they are formed just
like other storms, the vertical rotation of their updraft means that they can
sustain themselves for far longer.
 
15.
Frost Flowers
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Frost
flowers are formed when sap in the stem of plants freezes and expands, cracking
the stem. Water then draws through the cracks and freezes upon contact with the
air, eventually forming exquisite patterns.
 
16.
Sun Dogs
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Sun
dogs are an atmospheric phenomenon that occur when ice crystals cause light to
appear brighter when the sun is at a certain angle
 
17.
Mammatus Clouds
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Mammatus
clouds are cloud pouches that form and hang underneath the base of a cloud. When
air and clouds holding different levels of moisture mix, the heavier one sinks
below the lighter.
 
18.
Snow Donuts
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Snow
donuts are formed when chunks of snow are blown along the ground by wind,
picking up material along the way. The inner layers are weak and can easily blow
away, leaving a donut.
 
19.
Belt of Venus
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The
Belt of Venus is a pink glowing arch seen across the sky when the shadow of the
Earth's translucent atmosphere casts a shadow back upon itself.
 
20.
Asperatus Clouds
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Asperatus
Clouds were only classified in 2009. As a result, we know little about them
other than the fact that they look amazing.