Ask the CBS13 Weather Authority Team: What are lenticular clouds?

PORTLAND (WGME) -- Are you a fan of pancakes?

What about pancakes in the sky?

Many people spotted these peculiar clouds above Mount Washington on Monday.

These are lenticular clouds, and they are pretty rare. They look like floating saucers and form over mountain tops.

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Officially, lenticular clouds are known as Altocumulus Standing Lenticular clouds.

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Strong winds create these clouds when interacting with fast-moving air in the perpendicular direction. When stable air flows rapidly over a mountain and in a direction perpendicular to the wind, it can create gravity, or mountain, waves. Moisture can then get caught up in between the crest of these waves. As the moisture condenses, it can create a "saucer," or UFO-type shape. These are lenticular clouds. Usually, there are 2-3 layers of flat clouds piled on top of one another.

On Monday, a strong westerly wind created these large and unique clouds. This resulted in seven layers. They are most common in the winter or spring, as the winds aloft are much stronger during those months.

If you ever see any lenticular clouds, our CBS13 News and Weather team would love to see a picture! You can send them to our Chime In.

Do you have any weather questions or comments? Email our Weather Authority team at weather@wgme.com. We'd love to hear from you!