SHREVEPORT, La. - Neal Cowen, one of our KTBS 3 weather viewers sent this photo of a Hole Punch Cloud in today. What causes this relatively rare cloud to form?
The clouds looked out of this world . Here s how they form. Author: 11Alive StormTrackers Updated: 6:44 AM EST January 30, 2021
Formally known as fallstreak holes, hole punch clouds aren t formed by UFOs, Aliens, or anything out of this world. But they do look a bit eerie.
Hole punch clouds form when supercooled water droplets in mid to high level cumulus clouds rapidly freeze. The ice crystals fall, leaving behind a hole.
Credit: John Kelley
A more rare cloud formation called a canal cloud was also spotted across metro Atlanta Friday.
The formation is similar to hole punch clouds, but shaped differently. A jet plane flying through this layer of altocumulus clouds triggers the supercooled water droplets to rapidly freeze.