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 /

    Waves in the sky - Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds over Swansea

09:00
6 May 2026

Waves in the sky
Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds over Swansea

Kelvin-Helmholtz wave clouds forming rolling crest shapes above modern buildings under a clear blue sky, with smooth white cloud bands resembling breaking ocean waves.
Wave clouds pictured over Swansea. - © Carole Saunders

Crashing waves are usually spotted off the coast on windy days, but every so often the skies above can bring an altogether different type of waves.

Spotted over Swansea, Wales, wave clouds or Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds are quick to form and quick to disappear without a trace soon after.

These clouds appear when the air is very unstable. Forming when faster-moving, warm air flows over slower-moving, colder, and denser air. If the speed at which the warm air travels over the colder air is fast enough, the undulating wave-like formation in the cloud appears.

This phenomenon can be spotted anywhere - just be quick at getting your picture!

Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Rainbows shine on unsettled week. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday 14 June 2026
Split image showing a pastel rainbow above a lighthouse and harbor wall on the left, and an offshore wind farm stretching across the sea beyond green coastal farmland on the right.
Sunday 14 June 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Rainbows shine on unsettled week
Heat alerts issued for parts of England. Back to around 30 °C. . . Thursday 18 June 2026
Temperature map of the UK, Ireland, and western Europe on 19.06 showing warm to hot conditions across the UK with temperatures reaching 29 °C near London and a red heat warning symbol highlighting elevated heat risk.
Thursday 18 June 2026

Back to around 30 °C

Heat alerts issued for parts of England
Dry, hot weather raises pollen levels. Hay fever comeback. . . Thursday 18 June 2026
Satellite weather map of the UK and western Europe showing sunny conditions across much of Britain, a rain band approaching Ireland from the Atlantic, and a pollen icon indicating airbourne pollen levels during warm weather.
Thursday 18 June 2026

Hay fever comeback

Dry, hot weather raises pollen levels
All weather news
This might also interest you
Storm Benjamin impacts the UK. Warnings active. . . Wednesday 22 October 2025
Split weather map showing UK wind speeds in orange-red shades up to 40 mph on the left and warning levels in green-yellow on the right, with a central wind warning sign.
Wednesday 22 October 2025

Warnings active

Storm Benjamin impacts the UK
Flooding, gales, and heavy snow. Storm Chandra. . . Tuesday 27 January 2026
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
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