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Lenticular cloud

Lenticular cloud
Dramatic lenticular cloud formation over Harold's Cross, Dublin
GenusStratocumulus, altocumulus, cirrocumulus
Specieslenticularis (Latin: lentil)
Altitudeup to 12,000 m
(40,000 ft)
Appearancelens-like, Saucer-shaped
PrecipitationVirga only.
Lenticular cloud over the Antarctic ice near Scott Base.

Lenticular clouds (Latin: Lenticularis lentil-shaped, from lenticula lentil) are stationary clouds that form mostly in the troposphere, typically in parallel alignment to the wind direction. They are often comparable in appearance to a lens or saucer. Nacreous clouds that form in the lower stratosphere sometimes have lenticular shapes.

There are three main types of lenticular clouds: altocumulus standing lenticular (ACSL), stratocumulus standing lenticular (SCSL), and cirrocumulus standing lenticular (CCSL), varying in altitude above the ground.


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