Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    What's that cloud? Turbulent waves in the sky

06:00
24 February 2023

What's that cloud?
Turbulent waves in the sky

Undulatus asperatus
Undulatus asperatus in Devon, England. - © Gruffalo Griffin

We recently received this ominous-looking cloud, that quite honestly doesn't even look real. But we're here to tell you it very much is.

The cloud pictured above is "Asperitas" or "Undulatus Asperatus", translating as "roughened wave" in Latin. It was sent in by Weather & Radar user Gruffalo Griffin in Devon.

These clouds are part of a relatively new classification category, proposed back in 2009 by Gavin Pretor-Pinney of the Cloud Appreciation Society.

They form when there is instability in the atmosphere aloft, but relatively stable air at the surface. They have a well-defined structure and often look similar to rough ocean waves from below. After all, the atmosphere is a fluid.

As the air moves up and down it creates long, rippling waves, which in turn produces dramatic visuals of the sky.

Recommended external content from YouTube

We need your consent to show content from YouTube. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

I agree that content from YouTube will be displayed to me.
Privacy Policy
Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Super typhoon near the Philippines. Gusts of up to 155 mph. . . Tuesday, 23 June 2026
WindRadar showing Typhoon MEKKHALA east of Taiwan. A clearly visible eye, surrounded by areas of extremely high wind speeds.
Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Gusts of up to 155 mph

Super typhoon near the Philippines
50 years since historic 1976 heatwave. Three-month hot spell. . . Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Black-and-white photograph from the 1976 UK heatwave showing a crowded outdoor swimming area packed with people bathing, wading, and sitting along the water's edge during extreme summer heat.
Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Three-month hot spell

50 years since historic 1976 heatwave
How to sleep better in warmer weather. Tropical nights ahead. . . Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Person sitting on the floor indoors beside a running electric fan, cooling down in a sunlit room during hot weather, with sunlight streaming through a window.
Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Tropical nights ahead

How to sleep better in warmer weather
All weather news
This might also interest you
Flooding, gales, and heavy snow. Storm Chandra. . . Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
Storm Benjamin impacts the UK. Warnings active. . . Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Split weather map showing UK wind speeds in orange-red shades up to 40 mph on the left and warning levels in green-yellow on the right, with a central wind warning sign.
Wednesday, 22 October 2025

Warnings active

Storm Benjamin impacts the UK
Mixed conditions on an unsettled week. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 2 November 2025
plit image showing a double rainbow over a rocky shoreline on the left and sheep grazing in a green field under stormy clouds on the right.
Sunday, 2 November 2025

Your weather - Your shots

Mixed conditions on an unsettled week
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