Weird Cloud Formation across open sky

The clouds in this video are a bizarre sight to behold. Stretched thin and in a uniform repeating pattern, rippling across the sky, they resemble a series of waves stretching out into the ocean, or the pattern of sand strewn on a beach.Show more

While there is a simple scientific explanation for this event, to the uneducated and common eye it looks simply eerie. These clouds are abnormal, unlike the fluffy white masses of moisture we normally see dotting the sky, or even the massive hulk of a storm cloud. Instead these clouds look almost extra-terrestrial, like a formation you might see on another planet.

The music in this video only helps to heighten the ominous and mysterious mood. The soundtrack as the camera pans over the clouds in the sky make them seem almost creepy, an odd contrast to the positive blue sky above.

This odd rippling formation is called cirrocumulus clouds, which have the common name of “mackeral sky”, referring to the scaled pattern on a mackeral fish. These clouds are an indicator of change, and form ahead of approaching weather fronts. The appearance of mackeral sky means a storm is coming, as warm winds from an encroaching thunderstorm are flung out, and mix with cool air high in the sky. It is the push and pull of the cool and warm air meeting that causes these clouds to form in the sky.
Mackeral clouds in the past were watched closely by fisherfolk, as a weather forecast wasn’t as easily accessible to people back in the day. The sight of mackeral clouds meant a storm was on the way, and thus came the common saying, “Mackerel sky and mares' tails make tall ships carry low sails.”

So when you see these odd clouds forming above you, know that they aren’t as bizarre and out of this world as they may seem, but simply that a storm is on its way.