Australia's 600-mile cloud pipe explained
This giant sky-tube looks wild, but here's what this weather really is
Imagine looking up at the sky and seeing a perfectly smooth
What is the rare, 600-mile long tube-shaped cloud formation found in Northern Australia?
- This giant sky-tube looks wild, but here's what this weather really is
- This isn't just a visual trick.
- Even more bizarre, several of these rolls can appear at once, looking like a giant set of white pipes moving in sequence through a clear blue sky.
Pilots travel to Northern Australia just to surf a wave made of air. The Morning Glory cloud is a massive, tube-shaped roll that can reach 600 miles in length and travel at 40 miles per hour.
It forms in the Gulf of Carpentaria when sea breezes from the east and west collide. This creates a pressure wave that forces moisture up and cools it, while the back of the wave evaporates, making a cylinder that looks like it is rolling across the horizon.
This isn't just a visual trick. The cloud acts as a solid wall of air. Glider pilots can fly along the leading edge for hours, using the pressure to stay aloft without engines, much like a surfer rides a wave in the ocean.
While rolling clouds happen elsewhere, this is the only place on Earth where they appear predictably every spring. The sheer scale of the tube can stretch across the entire Gulf of Carpentaria.
Even more bizarre, several of these rolls can appear at once, looking like a giant set of white pipes moving in sequence through a clear blue sky.
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