These “hole punch” clouds were just as apparent from above as they were from below. This MODIS image shows a number of round holes in a blanket of cloud cover over Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. A few of the “holes” are elongated, with what appear to be smaller clouds inside them.
Published Jan 31, 2007
Hole-punch and canal clouds form when aircraft pass through altocumulus clouds that are rich with supercooled water droplets.
Published Dec 20, 2014
Hole-punch and canal clouds form when aircraft pass through altocumulus clouds that are rich with supercooled water droplets.
Published Dec 30, 2015
Cold winter conditions set the stage for these unusual clouds that can form due to airplane traffic.
Published Dec 28, 2010
Whether a patch of clouds contains open or closed cells offers a clue about whether rain is falling below.
Published Feb 6, 2016
Actinoform clouds pop up off the western coast of Australia.
Published Feb 7, 2020
An open-celled cloud over the Pacific Ocean had a shape reminiscent of a certain circular letter of the alphabet.
Published Sep 27, 2014
Data collected by a sensor on the Aqua satellite reveals the global distribution of clouds.
Published May 8, 2015
Acquired April 17, 2010, this natural-color image shows a network of open- and closed-cell clouds over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Peru.
Published Apr 28, 2010
