Ominous-looking clouds, very reminiscent of a 3D picture, only seem gloomy and scary, but they do not bring with them either thunderstorms or rain. These heavenly pilgrims were documented in the middle of the last century in the UK and New Zealand. Called Undulatus asperatus, according to US cloud expert Margaret LeMone, this phenomenon may well turn out to be a new kind of clouds, and to be convinced of this, let's recall all the existing ones:

1. Terrestrial-layered foggy, as well as fog, haze, haze.
2. Stratocumulus and stratocumulus, located in the lower atmosphere.
3. Altocumulus and Altocumulus, located in the middle tier.
4. Cirrus and Cirrocumulus, located in the upper tier.
5. Vertical clouds are cumulonimbus.
6. Other varieties: mother-of-pearl, udder, gloria, lenticular, pyrocumulative.

The new species - Asperatus clouds (translated from Latin - wavy-bumpy) should be included in the second item of the list if it is finally added to the International Cloud Atlas - a reference document created for the classification of clouds. Since changes were last made to it back in 1951, the World Meteorological Organization is in no hurry until the maximum number of observations is carried out. They are popularly called the clouds of the Apocalypse or "devilish".

Can Asperatus be observed in Russia?

In July 2015, the unique phenomenon of Asperatus clouds to the people was recorded over Kazan. On July 10, the  weather in Kazan  still proved that their formidable appearance was not accidental, and if they did not cause thunderstorms in the USA, Great Britain and New Zealand, then a heavy downpour fell in Kazan. The same thing happened over Khabarovsk a few years earlier. In 2015, in the month of March, the appearance of undulating-bumpy was photographed in Tver. This time there was no shower. Since, according to the statements of American and British scientists, Asperatus clouds never bring showers, it can be assumed that Kazan meteorologists did observe another, already known variety.

Features of the formation of a new type of clouds

Until the clouds are officially described in the Cloud Atlas, one can only pay attention to the observations of meteorologists, which indicate that the maximum number of appearances of these clouds was noted in the 21st century. The color and structure of this natural phenomenon indicates that they contain a large volume of water, therefore, it can be argued that energy and heat in large quantities took part in their formation. They usually move from West to East and prefer to be based in mountainous areas, as if repeating the terrain. Such forms of clouds are possible in the collision of air currents contrasting in temperature in the middle and lower layers of the atmosphere. Possible technogenic influence and participation of a large volume of steam. This is evidenced by Professor Paul Hardaker, Executive Director of the Royal Meteorological Society. Supposed,that they are formed when the air mass passes through the mountain pass.

It is unlikely that the  weather in Dzhankoy  can be marked by the appearance of the clouds of the Apocalypse, since the appearance in the steppe regions is contraindicated for them. But the inhabitants of Mezmay in the Caucasus may well count on a meeting with the clouds of the devil.

Some scientists compare asperatus with lenticular clouds by the method of formation, with tubular ones by color and places of origin. It has been noticed that simultaneously with the ominous heavenly travelers, a dry and cold wind occurs, blowing from top to bottom, capable of distilling significant masses of clouds.

Before the appearance of a new species, lenticular clouds, richly colored in blue and crimson, made an equally strong impression on people, resembling a pair of flying saucers hovering motionless over a mountain peak. These are the amazing phenomena that can occur between two layers of air! It is a great success to digitally capture such rare types of clouds. It is a pity that in our area this is as rare as the tube clouds "Morning Gloria" in Australia.