Interesting cloud formations from space

[Paul Racine]

Hopefully this is in the correct place if not feel free to move it.

I just happened to come across these and I happened to find it very interesting Made me think about how much your perception changes based on your location.

http://gajitz.com/sky-delight-awesome-cloud-formations-seen-from-space/

 

[Amanda Farnham]

Those are awesome... I especially love the vortices clouds. Good find.

 

[Jason Foster]

I thought this was rather interesting:

Rich posted it in the TS Bonnie thread a few days back. Funny how those clouds stream off the tips of the islands in the Bahamas.

 

[Mark Blue]

A lot of those islands in the Bahamas have a unique chevron shape to them. I wonder if that has anything to do with it? Awhile back I heard the chevron shape of the islands had something to do with a gigantic tsunami that crossed the Atlantic many moons ago. It was on Nat Geo or Discovery IIRC.

 

[cdcollura]

Good day all,

The Bahamas create what is called "atoll" clouds, and in light wind conditions, a thunderstorm forms right OVER the island (from sea breezes and diurnal heating of the land).

If there is a strong wind (easterly trade winds in the Bahamas case), the clouds that form over the land are quickly pushed away from the island, and a narrow cloud "line" forms, instead of an atoll cloud / thunderstorm.

As for the other pictures, the clouds are not convective, but stratiform, such as in the Pacific Ocean, especially off California (for example). In those cases, eddies and / or gravity wave patterns can be noted with island "wakes".

Above: The Canary Islands in the N Atlantic creating such "eddy" currents in the low-level marine stratocumulus.