Yes, morning glory clouds are a thing and no, it’s probably not what you are thinking. In this case, morning glory refers to a rare but striking cloud formation found in northeastern Australia, near the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Imagine remarkably long tubes of cotton-like clouds that stretch for hundreds of miles, appearing either solitarily or as one among many. According to LMU Munich, these clouds are typically a mile (1-2 kilometers) wide but 60 miles (100 kilometers long – or more. Indeed, UC Santa Barbara reports some clouds can reach astonishing lengths of 600 miles (900 kilometers).
These low-hanging clouds are not only impressive in scale, but are extraordinarily fast and can achieve speeds of 10 to 15 meters per second. As a result, they have become popular among thrill seekers looking to “surf” the cloud. According to the BBC, professional gliders can “ride” the cloud for hundreds of miles – remaining in the air for hours.
So, what causes these unusual clouds? According to UC Santa Barbara, they are thought to be triggered by a temperature inversion, where a layer of warmer air traps cooler air beneath it. This leads to differences in air density where two sea breezes meet, causing a wave-like motion. As air on the wave rises, a cloud is formed. Meanwhile, air on the back side sinks, causing the cloud to evaporate.
The northwestern tip of Australia is not the only place morning glory clouds can be formed but they are the most consistent and the only place where it is possible to predict their occurrence ahead of time. According to LMU Munich, they are most likely to be spotted in the months of September, October and November during the early morning hours.
Burketown, an outback town with a population of around 200, has become notorious (in certain circles) for being the best place to witness the incredible meteorological phenomena. According to the BBC, a sharp drop in temperature precedes the arrival of a morning glory cloud – indeed, one of the first signs is the formation of condensation on the local pub’s glasses.
Morning glory clouds are not the only spectacular cloud formations to grace the skies. Noctilucent – or night shining clouds – are becoming an increasingly common phenomenon. While back in 2014, a surreal, rainbow-colored cloud called a fallstreak hole made headlines.
