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.
The waves of striped clouds across the sky of Des Moines City, Iowa State (USA) on October 3.(Photo: Foxnews)
"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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