Arctic’s 40-year record low temperatures spawn rare clouds

Arctic’s 40-year record low temperatures spawn rare clouds

NASA’s MERRA-2 climate model reveals that the Arctic stratosphere has reached a 40-year record low for December, creating a sudden appearance of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) far beyond their usual Arctic confines.

Very rare Polar Stratospheric Clouds Type II appear over Scandinavia

Very rare Polar Stratospheric Clouds Type II appear over Scandinavia

Northern regions of Scandinavia were treated to a very rare high-altitude spectacle on January 17, 2022, photographer Adrien Mauduit reports. For about 2 hours, rare polar stratospheric clouds (PSC) type II appeared out of nowhere, displaying a staggering…

Major outbreak of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) over Europe

Major outbreak of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) over Europe

A major outbreak of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) was reported over Europe, including France, Spain, Germany. NLCs over these latitudes are considered rare, according to night sky enthusiasts, as these clouds are typically seen over higher latitudes. Last week, NLCs…

NLC seasons getting longer, clouds moving farther south

NLC seasons getting longer, clouds moving farther south

New data provided by NASA's AIM (Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere) satellite mission shows that the first noctilucent clouds (NLCs) of summer have been trending earlier since 2007, when the spacecraft was launched. Each year, NLCs first appear in the Arctic and…

2021 noctilucent clouds (NLC) season starts earlier than expected

2021 noctilucent clouds (NLC) season starts earlier than expected

Noctilucent clouds (NLCs) have been spotted over Poland, Czech Republic, Canada, and Scotland, among other countries, on May 25 and 26, marking an early start to the northern hemisphere's 2021 NLC season. The clouds are rapidly intensifying. In only four days…