1. What Are Fallstreak Hole Clouds?
- Fallstreak holes (also known as punch hole clouds, cavum, skypunch, or canal clouds) are large, circular or elliptical gaps that can appear in mid to high-level clouds.
- These celestial saucers predominantly occur in altocumulus or cirrocumulus clouds, floating at heights of 3 to 12 kilometers (that’s roughly 2 to 7 miles) above the Earth’s surface.
2. How Do They Form?
- Picture supercooled water droplets in the clouds—water that’s below freezing but hasn’t frozen yet due to the lack of ice nucleation.
- When ice crystals do form (thanks to the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process), a domino effect kicks in. Water droplets around the crystals evaporate, leaving a large, often circular, hole in the cloud.
- Passing aircraft can introduce tiny ice crystals into the cloud layer, triggering this domino effect. The result? A cosmic brushstroke of ice crystals trailing behind the plane.
3. Ominous Harbingers and UFO Sightings:
- Fallstreak holes often precede severe weather, adding an air of mystery to the sky. They’ve been mistaken for unidentified flying objects (UFOs) due to their rarity and unusual appearance.
- Imagine someone glancing skyward, spotting a fallstreak hole, and whispering, “Quick, call Mulder and Scully!” It’s like the sky’s own cosmic prank. 👽
4. Height of Base:
- These cloud oddities typically form between 6,500 and 16,500 feet above the ground. They thrive where the air is stable and winds flow across hills and mountains.
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Learn more about these circular mysteries and their high-altitude escapades! 🌦️🔍
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Hi I am Marcus, MM0ZIF, a licenced Radio Amateur, Doctor of Musicology, amateur weather enthusiast. I over the years have been a Amateur Radio Tutor, Examiner, and a Regional Manager for the Radio Society of Great Britain.
This site is dedicated more towards Amateur Radio and Weather, with an angle on Technology too. I also maintain https://havenswell.com/ which is my other blog which is more aimed at cooking, hobbies and life in general as well as businness and networking.
