'UFO clouds' form in wake of Texas storms

'UFO' Lenticular clouds over central Texas.

    

Weird weather left strange signs in the Texas sky after giant storms rolled through. Red-tinted disk-shaped clouds twirled atop dark flat bases and drew groups of dazzled gazers in Robertson County, just north of College Station.

As the images crawled across the web, tweeters sounded the obvious alarm: the UFOs arrived. Or, as one user put it, "It's happening."

But scientists swiftly jumped in to dispel the internet buzz. The heavenly apparitions were but rare "lenticular clouds," various meteorologists declared on social media. Even in the absence of extraterrestrial pilots hidden in the shroud, the clouds are impressive.

Lenticular (which can mean "resembling the seed of a lentil") clouds are produced by a perfect combination of conditions rarely found in Texas. Usually they appear when warm humid air is thrust rapidly up mountainsides into cooler regions of the sky where vapor condenses into a fog.

But without mountains, they're not common for Central Texas. A meteorologist with ABC30 News estimated Monday night's massive storms left behind a mass of cool air that acted like a mountain. Muggier currents ended up caught in twisting winds in the sky.

And viola: strange clouds resembling what alien spaceships might probably look like, maybe.

Still on Twitter the sky formations are known as the "UFO clouds." But unfortunately for the eager enthusiasts, it isn't happening yet.

Comment: Texas has been undergoing massive floods and numerous tornadoes. These out of place clouds are indicative of just how volatile the weather has become and is a telltale sign that massive changes are taking place with the earth's weather. Increased earthquakes, volcanoes popping off left and right, and massive floods not only in Texas, but also in China and Alaska. Are you paying attention yet?