photo #4778236

In the part of Lapland now within Finland, above the Arctic Circle, Kees Neve (Cloud Appreciation Society Member 57,271) took in this January sunset. A high layer of Cirrostratus caught the last rays of sun to make a golden-hued backdrop for silhouettes of mid-level clouds: patches of Altostratus and wave-like ridges of Altocumulus undulatus. The undulatus suggests a difference in wind speed or direction above and below the cloud layer, giving rise to undulating patterns in the airflows. As night fell in the Arctic winter, the cloud waves overhead made up for those stilled by the ice and snow on Lake Inari’s waters below.