Weatherwatch: How English summer clouds can warn of trouble ahead
Summary
Certain types of clouds seen in the English summer sky, called mackerel skies and mare’s tails, can signal bad weather is coming. These clouds form when a warm front or storm system is approaching, causing changes in moisture and wind at high altitudes.Key Facts
- Mackerel skies are made of cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds arranged in patchy rows that look like fish scales.
- Cirrocumulus clouds are white and wispy; altocumulus clouds are thicker and grey.
- Mare’s tails, or cirrus uncinus, are high clouds shaped like a horse’s tail with hooked, wispy plumes.
- Both cloud types indicate a warm front or low-pressure storm is coming soon.
- Warm fronts push moisture high in the sky, creating these cloud patterns.
- Mackerel skies form from turbulence; mare’s tails form from ice crystals stretched by wind differences at various heights.
- An old English saying advised sailors to lower their sails when seeing these clouds because strong winds usually followed.
- These cloud signals help predict changes in the weather.
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