You’ve probably heard of morning glories the flower, but did you know there are clouds that bear the same name?
If not, you’re in for a real treat!
At least, if you live in Australia, near the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Morning glory (when it comes to the sky) refers to a rare, striking cloud formation that’s only found in northeastern Australia. The long, cotton-like tubes of clouds stretch for hundreds of miles. They can appear solo or in groups and are typically a mile wide and at least 60 miles long.
Not only are they huge, but they’re fast, moving at around 10-15 meters per second.
Professional gliders love to “ride” these clouds for hundreds of miles, sometimes remaining in the air for hours at a time.
According to experts at UC Santa Barbara, the clouds are triggered by a temperature inversion in which a layer of warmer air traps cooler air beneath it, leading to differences in air density where the two meet.
This creates a wave-like motion and as air rises, a cloud appears. Where air sinks, the cloud evaporates.
Northeastern Australia is the only place on Earth where the clouds form consistently, and also where it’s possible to predict their appearance ahead of time.
This occurs most often in the early morning hours in September, October, and November.
If you want to catch one – or other cloud phenomena like noctilucent clouds or a fallstreak hole, you might want to plan a trip to Burketown, Australia.
It’s a small town with a big reputation.
Among chasers of cool clouds, anyway.
If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about a second giant hole has opened up on the sun’s surface. Here’s what it means.
