Strange thunderstorm in America

On a recent dry and cold autumn afternoon in Iowa state, cameras recorded an unusual phenomenon that could be seen visually by the collision of two air masses. Clouds split into a series of stripes streaking across the sky.

These wavy stripes form due to weather conditions that destabilize the atmosphere in a special way. In the case of Des Moines, Iowa, they formed on October 3 when a group of thunderstorms approached the city.

" At that time, a steady, cold air was on top of Des Moines. The thunderstorms coming in disturbed the atmosphere, creating ripples a bit like the scene when throwing a stone into a pond. "Weather expert Time Coleman from the National Center for Space Science and Technology in Alabama said.

Cloud waves are a form of gravitational waves, where gravity pulls the waves down. Coleman describes these cloud waves as what was created when a boat glided over the water.

"When the boat glides on the surface of the lake, the water in the bow is pushed upward, the gravity pulls the water back down and so forms a wave," he explained. In the case of Des Moines in early October, thunderstorms played the role of a ship.

Coleman also noted that the citizens of Des Moines actually felt the wind blowing back and forth when the waves surfed over their heads."The flags fly in one direction at a time when the wave rises and turns 180 degrees when reaching the low-lying area of ​​the wave , " he said.

These waves of stripes are usually 8 km apart, sometimes they can create thunderstorms.

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T. An