Under the sea? Hypnotic video of Undulatus Asperatus cloud formation traveling over Augusta makes it look like the city is underwater

  • The timelapse clip was recorded by Dr. Alan Walters in Augusta, Georgia
  • He taped his iPhone6 to the window of the hospital where he works  
  • The formation is often a sign of a storm being on the way, scientists say
  • It is very rare and hasn't yet been classified by the International Cloud Atlas

By Khaleda Rahman For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

This hypnotic timelapse video shows a cloud formation moving over a city and making it appear as if it is underwater.

The clip was recorded by Dr. Alan Walters, who was working at the University Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, when he spotted the unusual sight outside.

The anesthesiologist said he taped his iPhone6 to the window to film the phenomenon and went back to giving his patient an epidural.

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A timelapse video shows a cloud formation moving over a city and making it appear as if it is underwater

A timelapse video shows a cloud formation moving over a city and making it appear as if it is underwater

The clip was recorded by Dr. Alan Walters, who was working at the University Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, when he spotted the unusual sight outside

The clip was recorded by Dr. Alan Walters, who was working at the University Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, when he spotted the unusual sight outside

The video of the ‘Undulatus Asperatus’ was then posted on YouTube, where it has amassed nearly 40,000 views.

'I guess I was finally in the right place at the right time,' Walters said.

The ‘Undulatus Asperatus’ formation describes a wavy cloud that seems to protrude down from the sky. It is often a sign of a storm being on the way.

The first part, ‘undulatus’, translates as ‘wavy’ and is already used to classify certain types of cloud.

The anesthesiologist said he taped his iPhone6 to a window to film the formation and went back to work

The anesthesiologist said he taped his iPhone6 to a window to film the formation and went back to work

Meanwhile, 'asperatus' is the past participle of 'aspero' in Latin, which means ‘to roughen’. Therefore, the name can be taken to mean ‘roughened wave’.

Graham Anderson, a weather observation scientist who extensively studied Asperatus clouds, previously told Daily Mail Online that this cloud type is extremely rare.

As a result, it has not been classified yet, as evidence was needed from people taking pictures of the cloud type.

Gavin Pretor-Pinney, of the Cloud Appreciation Society, proposed for the formation to be recognized as a separate cloud classification. 

The timelapse video of the ‘Undulatus Asperatus’ has amassed nearly 40,000 views on YouTube

The timelapse video of the ‘Undulatus Asperatus’ has amassed nearly 40,000 views on YouTube

The cloud formation is very rare and hasn't yet been classified by the International Cloud Atlas

The cloud formation is very rare and hasn't yet been classified by the International Cloud Atlas

If successful it will be the first cloud formation added since cirrus intortus was added to the International Cloud Atlas in 1951. 

It forms when ‘wind moves a mammatus cloud,’ Anderson said.

‘One theory is that when you model conditions for a mammatus cloud and then add wind, it gets features that look like Undulatus,’ he continues.

‘It forms near storms, and is most frequently observed near a mass of storms in the US, quite often in conjunction with very big thunderstorms.’

But beyond that he says its formation is ‘not really known.’ 

 

 

 

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