Countess of the Winds lenticular cloud near Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy

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Timelapse of lenticular clouds over the volcano Mount Etna

Timelapse of lenticular clouds over the volcano Mount Etna

2014. 2. 12.

The timelapse movie, showing impressive altocumulus lenticularis duplicatus clouds over Mount Etna (3323 m a.s.l.), Sicily, was created from Webcam stills.

A Spectacular Lenticular Cloud (timelapse)

A Spectacular Lenticular Cloud (timelapse)

2018. 4. 4.

The summit of the volcano Etna in Sicily is known for its impressive cloud formations. They result from the wave-shaped overflow of the mountain and often have a lenticular shape (technical term: wave cloud, or altocumulus lenticularis). Their profile is often very sharp, they withstand strong winds and sometimes they are standing on the same place for hours. No wonder they're compared to UFOs. At noon on 30 March this year, my colleague Marco Manitta drew my attention to a particularly spectacular one. It was wonderfully clear to see in a webcam of the nearby village Paterno. In the following hours I loaded all the pictures and produced a time-lapse clip from the 444 individual pictures. Beautiful! Even in the images of the weather satellite METEOSAT the large lenticularis cloud was visible. A time-lapse clip could be made from the high-resolution satellite images at 5-minute intervals. I then synchronized both time-laps clips as far as possible (second part of this video clip). It is rare that a perfectly formed wave cloud can be so clearly documented from the two different perspectives! A more detailed report about this weather event: http://www.wzforum.de/forum2/read.php... Video by Michael Sachweh

The Countess of Etna, every time the first time 

Paola F. J. Torrisi

 Category: Special Places 

22 June 2020 

SICILIA • CATANIA • Catania

There are magical days when the Countess of Etna can be seen from Catania.
Altocumulus lenticulaus is the scientific name of the almost mystical phenomenon that occurs on Etna when the winds that blow from the west meet the volcano.

A cloud of which we are particularly fond so much so that we constantly scan the sky to see if it is our lucky day to capture a shot.
The winds beat on the convex slopes of the volcano as if it were a deflector, an effective barrier, and they suddenly rise and catch the humidity.
But, at high altitude, the two opposite winds rotate on themselves "competing" for space, and the cloud derives from it.
This is why we call her the Countess, she was born from a struggle in the skies but is of noble beauty.

The lenticular cloud is a fascinating and special Etna phenomenon that captures the attention of all the inhabitants of the Catania area.
Its vaulted shape of crushed almond, others of a "hat", also manages to colour itself taking on many shades of pink and making the event particularly impressive.
We all know, by popular tradition and therefore handed down from father to son, that when the 'Countess' appears after a few days there will be a sudden change of weather.
The "Countess" is our always reliable meteorologist !!
It will certainly bring about an Atlantic disturbance, but for us ordinary citizens it means that a storm or warmer temperatures than those at the current time will come.
Today, with mobile phones, on the days of the Countess we all find ourselves photographing the phenomenon from every corner of the Catania area and the hinterland.
Then we post the "Etna hat" each one taken from his own perspective but with the same desire to share it with others.
A movement was born on social media, so look for #Etna #lenticularclouds #siciliansky #magicalSicily the top hashtags for the Countess, that became popular in just one day.

But beyond technology, what unites us all young and old is, and always will be, the wonder that allows us to stop any activity that we are carrying out.
We from Catania turn up our noses to admire, with the same astonishment of a child and with a feeling of admiration, the Countess and Etna. (Read also)
And every time it's the first time!

Countess of the Winds lenticular cloud near Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy

Countess of the Winds lenticular cloud near Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy

Against a Sicilian sunset, a strange cloud like a stacked pair of flying saucers looms motionless near Mount Etna's summit. Lenticular clouds form close to prominent mountains in special conditions where water vapor condenses over a summit, then is shaped and smoothed by waves of wind passing over the slopes. The lenticular cloud that forms over Etna appears often enough that locals gave it a nickname: Contessa dei Venti, or Countess of the Winds, perhaps after its billowy layers resembling a rotund noblewoman's dress.

Countess of the Winds lenticular cloud near Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy

렌즈구름(Lenticular cloud)은 높은 고도에서, 바람 방향에 직각으로 정렬하고 있는 렌즈모양의 움직이지 않는 구름이다. 렌즈구름은 그 모양에 따라서 고적운(ACSL), 층적운(SCSL), 그리고 권적운으로 분류할 수 있다.

구름 - 위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전

렌즈구름(Lenticular cloud)

형성

렌즈운은 안정되고 습기를 머금은 공기가 산이나 산맥위로 흐를 때, 대규모의 정상파가 바람이 불어가는 쪽으로 형성되게 되는데, 정상에서 파가 내려가면서 기온이 이슬점 아래로 내려간다면, 공기 중의 수증기들은 렌즈구름의 형태로 액화된다. 파의 기압골 쪽으로 습기를 머금은 공기가 후진할 때, 구름은 기화하며 증발기체로 돌아간다. 특정한 조건 아래, 렌즈구름의 긴 끈 형태는 정상 가까이에서 각각의 연속하는 파의 형태인 '파 구름'으로 만들어진다. 렌즈구름은 렌즈모양이나 매끄러운 받침접시 같은 모양을 가지는 특징을 가지고 있기 때문에, UFO로 오해받기도 한다. 밝은 색깔이 나타나기도 하는데, 이는 무지개빛 효과라고 불리며 렌즈구름의 모서리 부분에 나타난다. 렌즈구름은 서유럽 쪽에 알프스 산맥 등지에 자주 생긴다.