A striking natural phenomenon unfolded Wednesday morning as clouds "glided" over the Upper Galilee and Ramon Crater, creating the appearance of a slow-moving blanket to mark the start of the new year. Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority officials were on site to document the spectacle.
Tzahi Waxman, a meteorologist with Meteo-Tech, explained the science behind the phenomenon, called cloud inversion. “It’s a fairly complex process,” Waxman told Ynet. “At night, the ground cools quickly, and when the air near the surface becomes saturated, condensation occurs, forming a cloud layer. This is similar to fog formation, but in mountainous or valley regions, it behaves differently."
Clouds blanketing Ramon Crater
(Video: Jamil Atrash, Israel Nature and Parks Authority)
Clouds blanketing the Golan Heights
(Video: Yehuda Weinberg)
As the sun rises and slightly warms the surface, gentle turbulence lifts the fog above the ground, causing it to move. “When this happens near a cliff or slope, the colder, heavier air sinks into the valley below, creating the illusion of a cloud cascading or gliding downward,” Waxman explained.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
In Ramon Crater, the gliding effect typically halts before reaching the bottom. "As the descending air warms and dries, the cloud loses moisture and dissipates, creating a stunning visual of a cloud descending and vanishing mid-slope," Waxman said.
2 View gallery
Clouds blanketing Manara in northern Israel
(Photo: Suleiman Hamood, Israel Nature and Parks Authority)
He added that similar phenomena occur in the Hula Valley, especially after rain when the valley is humid and waterlogged. Under stable atmospheric conditions, a layer of warmer fog forms over the cold ground. If fog is also present on the nearby mountains, the moist air may descend, attempting to merge with the valley fog. "
Most often, the descent stops midway as the cloud dries out, creating a dramatic yet fleeting display," he noted.