Indiana is no stranger to weird and wild weather, like terrifying tornadoes, intense blizzards, ice storms, flooding, and more, but did you know that we’re also no stranger to some really interesting and weird clouds as well? It’s something we’ve all done: we gaze up at the heavens and try to spot shapes in our favorite fluffy friends in the sky. But some of the clouds you might see over the Hoosier State can be downright strange – and this is your ultimate guide to them! Keep one eye on the sky always; you never know when you’ll see any one of these fascinating and unique cloud formations.
- Roll Clouds
Ken M Erney/Flickr What is THAT? When a roll cloud decides to show up to the party, it tends to turn heads! A roll cloud is a strange-looking, horizontal, tube-like cloud that forms thanks to a boundary of some kind (such as the wind being pushed out from under a thunderstorm, otherwise known as an “outflow boundary”) which collides with a nice, cool, stable air mass, resulting in a wave that’s sometimes visible in the form of roll clouds. They’re not necessarily rare, per se, but they’re still amazing enough to catch everyone’s attention! In 2019, one such roll cloud over the Hoosier State made the news.
- Shelf Clouds
Holgileinchen/Flickr Shelf clouds are often confused for both roll clouds and wall clouds - though they are neither. Ominous, beautiful, and harmless, these guys form on the leading edge of a strong thunderstorm. Sometimes, they’re amazingly smooth and sculpted; other times, they’re pretty scary looking (see above photo). No worries, though - again, they’re harmless in and of themselves. This enchanting shelf cloud put on quite a show over Indiana and Illinois.
- Asperitas (formerly and casually known as “Asperatus”) Clouds
Aleta Rodriguez/Flickr You might have heard about when these “new” clouds were officially named “Asperitas” in 2017, but they’ve been around since long before that. Asperitas clouds are a strange-looking type of cloud that often indicates more stable air aloft in an overall unstable environment, often looking like incredible waves in the sky. They almost look like they’d be pillow-soft! An excellent example of Asperitas occurred in 2016 and was recorded by numerous amazed witnesses. Cool!
- Mammatus Clouds
Rich Herrmann/Flickr Now THESE clouds know how to put on a show! Often misunderstood as harbingers of severe weather, these bubble-like protrusions on the bottom side of an anvil cloud are quite a strange sight to see. Mammatus form when cooling air descends from aloft, essentially “dragging” a bit of the cloud base with it. They’re particularly insane-looking at sunset when they often take on an orange or pink (and sometimes even red) color. One thing is for sure: once you see them, you’ll never forget them. Sometimes, they’re so remarkable that you’ll end up with articles about them, especially when they’re observed by lots of people on the ground.
- Lenticular Clouds
David Brodbeck/Flickr It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… a cloud? That’s right, it’s no UFO - lenticular clouds can manifest as simply as a slightly smudged-looking cloud in the sky, or they can take the form of a spaceship or a stack of plates. It’s strongly believed that many UFO reports from early days were simply folks who didn’t realize they were seeing clouds and not aliens! They form when stable air flows across mountainous or or hilly terrain, and they occur most commonly in cold weather, though you have a shot at seeing them year-round. They’ll stay in place for literal hours, unmoving, as they allow air to pass through them significantly more readily than most clouds. Have you ever seen a lenticular cloud?
- Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds
Noel Feans/Flickr Last - but in no way least - on our list of weird clouds you might see over Indiana someday are the wavelike formations known as Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds. When two different layers of air in the atmosphere are moving in different directions at different speeds, that’s known as “shear”, and shear is the force behind these rare and absolutely fascinating clouds. Oftentimes, when people see them, they post photos and videos to social media asking if anyone can identify what kind of cloud they are - and now you’re ready to tell them! This article from WTHI TV goes over them, and their relevance to Indiana, in more detail.
So, which weird clouds are your favorite ones? We would love to see all of your beautiful photos in the comments! Interested in more interesting Indiana weather history? Check this article out for info about one of the most incredible tornado outbreaks to ever hit the Hoosier State.
Ken M Erney/Flickr
What is THAT? When a roll cloud decides to show up to the party, it tends to turn heads! A roll cloud is a strange-looking, horizontal, tube-like cloud that forms thanks to a boundary of some kind (such as the wind being pushed out from under a thunderstorm, otherwise known as an “outflow boundary”) which collides with a nice, cool, stable air mass, resulting in a wave that’s sometimes visible in the form of roll clouds. They’re not necessarily rare, per se, but they’re still amazing enough to catch everyone’s attention! In 2019, one such roll cloud over the Hoosier State made the news.
Holgileinchen/Flickr
Shelf clouds are often confused for both roll clouds and wall clouds - though they are neither. Ominous, beautiful, and harmless, these guys form on the leading edge of a strong thunderstorm. Sometimes, they’re amazingly smooth and sculpted; other times, they’re pretty scary looking (see above photo). No worries, though - again, they’re harmless in and of themselves. This enchanting shelf cloud put on quite a show over Indiana and Illinois.
Aleta Rodriguez/Flickr
You might have heard about when these “new” clouds were officially named “Asperitas” in 2017, but they’ve been around since long before that. Asperitas clouds are a strange-looking type of cloud that often indicates more stable air aloft in an overall unstable environment, often looking like incredible waves in the sky. They almost look like they’d be pillow-soft! An excellent example of Asperitas occurred in 2016 and was recorded by numerous amazed witnesses. Cool!
Rich Herrmann/Flickr
Now THESE clouds know how to put on a show! Often misunderstood as harbingers of severe weather, these bubble-like protrusions on the bottom side of an anvil cloud are quite a strange sight to see. Mammatus form when cooling air descends from aloft, essentially “dragging” a bit of the cloud base with it. They’re particularly insane-looking at sunset when they often take on an orange or pink (and sometimes even red) color. One thing is for sure: once you see them, you’ll never forget them. Sometimes, they’re so remarkable that you’ll end up with articles about them, especially when they’re observed by lots of people on the ground.
David Brodbeck/Flickr
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… a cloud? That’s right, it’s no UFO - lenticular clouds can manifest as simply as a slightly smudged-looking cloud in the sky, or they can take the form of a spaceship or a stack of plates. It’s strongly believed that many UFO reports from early days were simply folks who didn’t realize they were seeing clouds and not aliens! They form when stable air flows across mountainous or or hilly terrain, and they occur most commonly in cold weather, though you have a shot at seeing them year-round. They’ll stay in place for literal hours, unmoving, as they allow air to pass through them significantly more readily than most clouds. Have you ever seen a lenticular cloud?
Noel Feans/Flickr
Last - but in no way least - on our list of weird clouds you might see over Indiana someday are the wavelike formations known as Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds. When two different layers of air in the atmosphere are moving in different directions at different speeds, that’s known as “shear”, and shear is the force behind these rare and absolutely fascinating clouds. Oftentimes, when people see them, they post photos and videos to social media asking if anyone can identify what kind of cloud they are - and now you’re ready to tell them! This article from WTHI TV goes over them, and their relevance to Indiana, in more detail.
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