A fascinating and quite rare natural spectacle was presented this week to residents of some parts of the US states of Louisiana and Florida. Suddenly very strange holes appeared in the cloud cover (see video above).
Falling ice crystals are likely responsible for the relatively rare weather phenomenon known as hole-punch cloud, which remains little studied. These come either from a higher cloud or from contrails created by water vapor emitted by aircraft engines.
Ice crystals responsible for holes in the air
It is believed that the falling ice crystals absorb water vapor from the clouds as the atmospheric moisture binds to the ice. In this way, where this phenomenon occurs, oval or almost circular holes often form in the cloud layer – a so-called punch-hole cloud.
Due to the extra water absorption, the ice crystals become heavier and fall towards the earth faster. If this process continues long enough, a funnel-shaped structure sometimes forms at the bottom of the perforation cloud. However, the snow does not reach the earth because it is heated in deeper layers of air and immediately melts again or sublimates into water vapor.
The appearance disappears quickly
If you want to photograph such cloud holes, now known as ‘Cavum’ in the International Cloud Atlas, you’ll need to quickly get out your camera or cell phone. The weather phenomenon is one that meteorologists say usually disappears after a few minutes.
Source: Krone
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