Themes > Science > Earth Sciences > Hydrology, Meteorology, Climatology > Meteorology / Climatology > Clouds and Precipitation > Cloud Types > Billow Clouds 

Produced by Kelvin-Helmholtz instability

Billow clouds are created from instability associated with air flows having marked vertical shear and weak thermal stratification. The common name for this instability is Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. These instabilities are often visualized as a row of horizontal eddies aligned within this layer of vertical shear.

Photograph by: Rilling

Information provided by: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu