| Asperitas | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Asperitas_clouds_over_Dayton,_Ohio_on_October_21,_2023.jpg) Asperitas over Dayton, Ohio in 2023 | |
| Genus | Altocumulus or Stratocumulus depending on height, as Asperitas is thought to be a cumuliform structure [1] |
| Species | Stratiformis |
| Variety | Opacus |
| Altitude | Below 2,000 (or higher with altocumulus) m (Below 6,000 -or higher with altocumulus- ft) |
| Appearance | Wavy undersurface |
| Precipitation | No, but may form near storm clouds. |
Asperitas (formerly known as Undulatus asperatus) is a cloud formation first popularized and proposed as a type of cloud in 2009 by Gavin Pretor-Pinney of the Cloud Appreciation Society. Added to the International Cloud Atlas as a supplementary feature in March 2017, it is the first cloud formation added since cirrus intortus in 1951.[2] The name translates approximately as "roughness".[3]
The clouds are closely related to undulatus clouds.[3] Although they appear dark and storm-like, they almost always dissipate without a storm forming. The ominous-looking clouds have been widespread in the Plains states of the United States, often during the morning or midday hours following convective thunderstorm activity.[4][3]
- ^ "June 2009". The Cloud Appreciation Society. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
- ^ "PICTURES: New Cloud Type Discovered?". National Geographic. National Geographic News. 2009-06-03. p. National Geographic. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
guardwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "New Cloud Type Discovered: 'Undulus Asperatus'". Meteorology News. 2006-04-28. Retrieved 2012-12-20.