Hole punch clouds seen across Mid-Missouri Thursday

Hole punch, or fall streak clouds can be seen during the winter and spring months. Supercooled water droplets and ice crystals are present at levels with cirrus and cirrocumulus clouds present. The ice particles grow at the expense of the supercooled water droplets that are in the atmosphere, and fall out of the cloud as snow. If the cloud layer is thin, or the water is not replenished once an airplane passes through it, the snow or ice crystals leave a hole in the cloud. Essentially, the hole is formed by an airplane punching through a thin upper-level cloud deck.

These clouds are similar in shape to Lenticular clouds. Lenticular clouds, however, occur mainly with strong winds aloft. They are often visible on the leeward side of a mountain and can have a similar shape looking like a UFO.