Home / Editor's Pick /

Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds: Waves in the sky

16:00
20 June 2022

Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds
Waves in the sky

Kelvin-Holmholtz cloudKelvin-Helmholtz clouds spotted over Yorkshire in 2022. - © Paul Foster

This is a fantastic and rare shot of a wave-crashing cloud captured over Ingleton, North Yorkshire by a Weather & Radar user, do you know what they are?

Known as Kelvin-Helmholtz Wave Clouds, these types of cloud only last for a few minutes before dissipating without a trace.

Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds appear when the air is very unstable. They form when faster-moving, warm air flows over slower-moving, colder and denser air. If the speed at which the warm air travels over the colder air is fast enough, the undulating wave-like formation of the cloud appears.

These types of clouds can be spotted anywhere but vanish as quickly as they appear, so you need to be quick on the trigger!

If you spot waves in the clouds, or any natural spectacle, we would love to see! Submit images and videos using our uploader.

Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Split image showing a night-time UK rain radar map with blue precipitation bands, city temperature markers, and a rain cloud icon on the left, and a star-filled night sky with the Milky Way and a silhouetted telescope on the right, divided by a curved white line.
Sunday, 21 December 2025

Ursid meteor shower

Wish upon a Christmas star
People walk through muddy streets after heavy rain, alongside a rain map of Morocco.
Tuesday, 16 December 2025

New rainfall in sight

Fatalities in Moroccan floods
Weather map showing temperatures and a 4,542 mile route arrow over the Atlantic. Symbols indicate sun, clouds and precipitation from North America to Europe.
Wednesday, 17 December 2025

From Europe to America

Weather front over 4,500 miles long
All weather news
This might also interest you
Mammatus clouds
Thursday, 21 August 2025

Unusual view

Mammatus clouds over Ireland
Friday, 22 August 2025

Breakfast brief

Sunny start for some, overcast later
Split weather map showing the UK and Ireland. The left side illustrates strong winds circulating around a low-pressure system, with gusts of 20–30 mph highlighted in orange and yellow. The right side shows radar imagery with widespread blue rain bands and patches of thunderstorms, especially over northern England and Scotland.
Thursday, 28 August 2025

Breakfast brief

Remaining widely unsettled
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList