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Rare clouds spotted during Scottish Cup match

BBC The clouds look like big waves, curling over. The cloud is just above the summit of a hill. Also visible in the image is advertising on stands in the football ground, and the pole for floodlights.BBC
A picture of the Kelvin-Helmholtz taken from Ross County's ground on Saturday

Rare clouds could be seen from parts of the Highlands on Saturday afternoon.

Called Kelvin Helmholtz, they resemble rolling ocean waves and similar patterns have been seen by astronomers on Jupiter and the outermost part of the sun's atmosphere.

Football fans in parts of the East and Jail End stands at Ross County's Scottish Cup fourth round match against Livingston in Dingwall had some of the best views of Saturday's phenomenon.

BBC Weather said a layer of faster moving air at the top of the cloud causes the cloud tops to topple over like waves in the sea.

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They are named after two physicists - Hermann von Helmholtz and William Thomson, who was also known as Lord Kelvin - studied the physics behind cloud formations.

The Met Office said: "Kelvin Helmholtz clouds, or fluctus clouds, are quite rare.

"These clouds are more likely to be seen on windy days when there is a difference in density of the air.

"They also indicate instability in the atmosphere, which can help identify areas of turbulence for aircraft."

They added: "This phenomenon, whilst rare, has also been spotted in cloud patterns on Jupiter, within Saturn's bands and on the sun's corona."

Livingston beat Ross County 3-2.

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