Kansas woman spots ‘gravity wave’ weather phenomenon

LEAVENWORTH (KSNT) – A photographer in northeast Kansas recently captured an odd cloud formation overhead.

Ginny Fuhrer took to social media in March to show others a few photos she took of a prominent line of clouds above. KSNT Stormtrack Meteorologist Ely Millard is weighing in with his own take on what this impressive cloud formation might be.

“This cloud looks to be a gravity wave,” Millard said. “These form when there is a disturbance in the atmosphere from air being displaced. This causes a ripple effect in the sky, often times, resulting in a cloud like this.”

This type of cloud formation appears similar to the effect produced by a rock being thrown in a pond with ripples moving on the surface of the water, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Gravity waves are caused by a trigger such as updrafts from mountains or thunderstorms.

As the gravity wave moves farther from this trigger source, it becomes weaker and less defined until it eventually disperses. You can learn more about gravity waves and how they’re formed on the NWS website by clicking here.

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