Strange cloud holes

[Bob Schafer]

I was looking for something else when I stumbled across this:

http://ccc.atmos.colostate.edu/~hail/cool/clouds/pages/STRANGECIRCLE1.htm

I'm sure we had another thread about similar phenomena some time ago, perhaps even with the same photo discussed, but isn't that cool?

 

[Terry Tyler]

the sun burning through a hole in the ozone layer?

aint never seen a picture like that before...

 

[Tarmo Tanilsoo]

I think that these hole punch clouds have been mentioned on Spaceweather.com... More information here

 

[Paul Knightley]

Fall-streak holes - aircraft fly through, giving more condensation nuclei. The water droplets evaporate as the ice crystals grow (Bergeron-Findeison process). These then precipitate down, and evaporate, leaving the hole.

 

[Howard Kirby]

the sun burning through a hole in the ozone layer?

aint never seen a picture like that before...

I'm genuinely surprised you guys haven't seen fallstreak holes before.
I took this one on the way to work a few months ago:

 

[Martin North]

Yes, that's a beautifully round fall streak hole. Classic residue virga there...

A very nice photograph of one of the best I've ever seen.