What is this UFO-shaped cloud doing over eastern China?

Those within sight of California’s Mount Shasta last weekend were treated to quite a show as thin layers of clouds pancaked on top of each other to make, in essence, a floating cap. (Video courtesy: Robert Renick via Storyful)

A UFO-shaped cloud created quite the dramatic scene over eastern China on Tuesday, with photographers and residents flocking to catch a glimpse of the unusual sight.

The cloud formation, known as a lenticular cloud, was photographed over Lianyungang in China’s Jiangsu province.

The name “lenticular” comes from the Latin word lenticularis, meaning “lens-shaped,” and despite the visual appearance of moisture, there was nothing to be concerned about.

According to meteorologists, such clouds typically form when stable air flows over a mountain or hill, creating a pattern high in the atmosphere.

The result is usually a stationary, lens-like structure that appears to hover in place – a feature that resembles a UFO to some observers.

Lianyungang is surrounded by the Yuntai Mountains, which are considered to be a small but prominent range that plays a role in shaping local weather patterns.

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Zhuyu Peak is one of the most notorious mountain tops in the Yuntai range, with an estimated elevation of some 4,291 feet.

The mountain top and nearby peaks provide the type of topography conducive to lenticular cloud formation, as moist air is forced upward over the ridges.

While there isn’t a specific known elevation needed for the formation of lenticular clouds, the features are often witnessed outside taller mountains.

The Himalayas in Asia, the Alps in Europe and the Rockies in North America are all known to produce sights of lenticular clouds.

And again, despite their appearance, meteorologists note that lenticular clouds are simply an indicator of atmospheric conditions interacting with terrain features and not something more menacing.

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According to the National Weather Servicethe cloud’s official name is the Altocumulus Standing Lenticular cloud, or ACSL for short.

“When sufficient moisture is present above mountain-top level, ACSL clouds develop within the crest of these mountain waves where the air is rising. ACSL clouds are continually developing and dissipating in the vicinity of the wave’s crest and immediately downwind of the crest, respectively. That is why they appear to remain stationary (hence the name) even though winds are swiftly (sometimes very swiftly) moving through the entire cloud,” the NWS previously stated.

Interestingly enough, they are most often spotted during the winter and spring seasons, when upper-level winds are typically the strongest – neither of which are unfolding in China right now.

Countries north of the equator are in the middle of summer as the northern half of Earth is tilted towards the Sun, leading to more direct daylight.