Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Over England and Wales: Lee waves on the WeatherRadar

10:30
10 December 2024

Over England and Wales
Lee waves on the WeatherRadar

Waves formed on the WeatherRadar yesterday, not in the ocean but in the sky over the Pennines and Cambrian mountains.

Monday afternoon, as cloud cover stretched across much of the UK, cool, moist air in the north-easterly flow was also forced to ascent the mountain barriers of the Pennines and Snowdonia.

This causes so-called gravity waves to develop, an oscillating up and down motion of the flow as the airstream interacts with the terrain. The cloud lines are at right angles to the wind direction and appear upon hitting mountainous, or hilly, areas.

Mountain waves are a type of lee wave, otherwise known as standing, stationary waves.

Air ascending up a mountain range happens all the time if the wind direction is right. What is crucial during a lee wave event is an inversion, a stable layer of air that acts as a "lid" above the cool, moist air mass below.

Every time the air rises, it cools and forms a cloud that sits at each crest of the wave. When this airflow hits the inversion it subsides and dries again.

On the WeatherRadar, you can see all the ripples flowing over the mountains, continuing southwest.

Have you seen any near you? If so, send us a picture, we would love to see them. Upload yours here!

Get involved! Using the uploader
Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Severe weather hits Mallorca and Italy. Severe thunderstorms. . Weather Videos. Thursday 10 September 2026
Numerous thunderstorms are sweeping across La Palma. The many lightning symbols on the radar and lightning map show that there is heavy lightning activity across large parts of the island. The thunderstorms are striking particularly in the island’s interior and in the south. On the right, you can see the aftermath: a large fallen tree has buried a car beneath it. Emergency services are clearing up the damage. So, along with the thunderstorms, not only heavy rain but also gusts of wind can become a problem.
Weather VideosThursday 10 September 2026

Severe thunderstorms

Severe weather hits Mallorca and Italy
Autumn colours light the skies. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday 13 September 2026
Split image showing a fiery red-orange sunset over a rural road and fields beside a golden sea sunset with a silhouetted seabird in flight.
Sunday 13 September 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Autumn colours light the skies
Hurricane Lowell threatens Hawaii. Gales and flash floods. . . Tuesday 8 September 2026
WindRadar showing Hurricane Lowell north-west of Hawaii and its well-defined storm centre.
Tuesday 8 September 2026

Gales and flash floods

Hurricane Lowell threatens Hawaii
All weather news
This might also interest you
New records for England and Wales. Broken again tomorrow?. . . Thursday 25 June 2026
Temperature map of southwest Britain on 25.06 showing extreme heat across southern Wales and southwest England, with Bute Park in Cardiff highlighted at 34.2°C and Yeovilton at 36.4°C amid widespread deep red heat zones.
Thursday 25 June 2026

Broken again tomorrow?

New records for England and Wales
Seasonal warmth between spring thunder. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday 19 April 2026
Split image showing coastal sunset with layered lenticular clouds over rooftops and palm trees on the left, and a green valley with river and hills under soft daylight on the right.
Sunday 19 April 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Seasonal warmth between spring thunder
Historic Storm Éowyn arrives. On this day.... . . Saturday 24 January 2026
Split image showing a person in a yellow jacket struggling against strong winds and heavy rain on a street at night on the left, and an Irish wind forecast map on the right with red and purple shading, gusts up to 75 mph, and a wind warning icon, divided by a curved white line.
Saturday 24 January 2026

On this day...

Historic Storm Éowyn arrives
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList