A stunning timelapse of lenticular clouds over Mount Shasta! Lenticular clouds form when stable, moist air flows over a mountainous barrier. As the air is forced to rise over the barrier, it cools, and the moisture condenses to form clouds. If the airflow is just right, the clouds can form into a lens or saucer shape, giving them the name "lenticular." Mount Shasta has an elevation of 14,179 feet (4322 m). The mountain is located in Northern California, USA, and it is a popular destination for h

Yesterday, summit staff captured a timelapse of the development of lenticular clouds. Often appearing like a stack of pancakes or saucers, lenticulars typically form in stronger winds and downwind of a mountain range. When a strong flow of stable and sufficiently moist air hits a barrier, it produces standing waves to the lee of the barrier, in this case the Presidential Range. Within these standing waves, as the moist layer rises, it cools, causing water vapor to condense at the crest of the wa