Impressive thunderclouds run along the spine of the Indonesian island of Flores, a result of ocean breezes and steep mountains.
Published Dec 11, 2013
The island itself is almost too small see in this image, but it serves as the starting point for the clouds that flow toward the northeast in a giant V shape. Amsterdam Island is a volcanic summit, the northernmost volcano on the Antarctic tectonic plate.
Published Dec 30, 2005
Distinctive lines of clouds that mirror the shape of the shore hang over the Aral Sea in this photo-like image.
Published Mar 25, 2009
The clouds that frequently produce severe weather—cumulonimbus—are seen building up during the afternoon over the South China Sea.
Published May 28, 2020
Events on Earth’s surface can affect the development and shape of clouds in the sky.
Published Jan 3, 2017Image of the Day Heat Land Water Snow and Ice Remote Sensing
Data collected by a sensor on the Aqua satellite reveals the global distribution of clouds.
Published May 8, 2015
An intricate interaction of waves shapes the clouds in the North Sea, making patterns that echo basic principles of nature.
Published Nov 25, 2011
Patches of open-celled clouds off the west coast of Peru offer beautiful glimpses of the sea—and pointers to where rain may have fallen.
Published Aug 7, 2018
Cold air blows over warmer water to produce thin, parallel lines of clouds.
Published Oct 8, 2018
The wave-like appearance of clouds over Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska are the result of colliding air masses.
Published May 18, 2017
Whether a patch of clouds contains open or closed cells offers a clue about whether rain is falling below.
Published Feb 6, 2016
Cold and dry air from Siberia typically produce this cloud formation over the sea from November through January.
Published Jan 7, 2018
Dry air surging off the western coast of Africa ran into a wall of moist air over the Atlantic, creating a distinctive line in a marine cloud layer.
Published Feb 28, 2013
An open-celled cloud over the Pacific Ocean had a shape reminiscent of a certain circular letter of the alphabet.
Published Sep 27, 2014
Clouds formed over rural areas and the cities but are noticeably absent above Guanabara Bay and the ocean due to the mechanisms of cloud formation.
Published May 17, 2020
Low, moist ocean clouds outline South American country’s coastal desert.
Published May 31, 2014
Tucked between Siberia and Russia's frozen Kamchatka Peninsula, the Sea of Okhotsk was a field of ice in February 2007.
Published Feb 8, 2007
Like ripples on a pond, a series of long, circular wave clouds radiate out from the coast of West Africa in this pair of photo-like images.
Published Oct 20, 2007
Even without a map overlay, global cloud patterns can reveal the shape and location of many of Earth’s continents. This global map of cloud fraction in October 2009 demonstrates the pattern.
Published Nov 17, 2009
Cloud streets form thousands of feet above the Earth’s surface.
Published Mar 12, 2017
Cool air moving across Arctic sea ice gives rise to long parallel bands of cumulus clouds over the Norwegian Sea.
Published Mar 31, 2016Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Unique Imagery Snow and Ice
