Before the wind, the rain and the chaos, the skies of Reunion Island had reserved images that were out of the ordinary for the inhabitants of the island located in the Indian Ocean. On Sunday, peculiar clouds had massed over the island, which was hit by Cyclone Belal on Monday. The water droplets suspended in the atmosphere took the form of stacked flying saucers. In more scientific terms, it was referred to as "lenticular" clouds, or altocumulus lenticularis, in Latin.
😍🇷🇪 "Lenticular" clouds in the sky of Reunion Island! pic.twitter.com/d8xBpMOkHe
— Monica M (@cmonica75) January 14, 2024
Far from any science fiction phenomenon, the phenomenon can be explained by very specific weather conditions. In 2020, Météo France had exposed why such shapes had invited themselves above the mountains of Chamrousse, in Isère. These "lens-like clouds . . . appear when the wind blows hard at high altitudes, in a humid atmosphere," the weather service said on Facebook.
"Air moves in undulating motions"
"By crossing a relief, the air moves in undulatory movements: when it rises and cools enough, the water condenses and forms the lenticular cloud, had completed Météo France. These clouds are therefore mainly found near the terrain. The mountainous profile of Reunion Island combined with the arrival of Cyclone Belal led to the formation of this cloud pattern.
But these are not the only peculiar shapes that adorned the skies of Reunion Island before the storm.
I've never seen a sky like this, yet I've seen cyclones come and go. #Belal #Cyclone #LaReunion #PictureOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/FoIU8j4Lo8
— Le Rédac (@LeRedac) January 14, 2024
The Futura website has identified mammatus - many agglomerated globes - or asperatus - wave-shaped clouds - on the eve of the cyclone's arrival.