The Taieri Pet is a
lenticular cloud
Lenticular clouds (, ) are stationary clouds that form mostly in the troposphere, typically in parallel alignment to the wind direction. They are often comparable in appearance to a lens or saucer. polar stratospheric cloud, Nacreous clouds tha ...
formation that occurs in the
Strath-Taieri
The Strath Taieri (sometimes spelt Strath-Taieri) is a large glacial valley and river plateau in New Zealand's South Island. It is surrounded by the rugged hill ranges to the north and west of Otago Harbour. Since 1989 it has been part of the cit ...
region of
Otago
Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...
in the
South Island
The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...
of New Zealand. The cloud formation is created when north-westerly winds are forced upwards over the
Rock and Pillar Range
The Rock and Pillar Range (), is a range of high hills is located in the Maniototo, an area of inland Otago, New Zealand. The range is surrounded on three sides by the Taieri River, which has its source in the Lammerlaw Range. The river flows ...
.
The Rock and Pillar Range lies almost perpendicular to the direction of the prevailing north-westerly
Foehn wind
A Foehn, or Föhn (, , , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm downslope wind in the lee of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of its moisture on windw ...
. The range is steep-sided and has a flat top. Lenticular clouds form when strong northwesterly winds flow up and over the mountain range, creating a
standing wave
In physics, a standing wave, also known as a stationary wave, is a wave that oscillates in time but whose peak amplitude profile does not move in space. The peak amplitude of the wave oscillations at any point in space is constant with respect t ...
. The air cools as it rises, and the water vapour in the air condenses to form clouds. The Taieri Pet cloud formation can sometimes appear in layers and has been described as a "huge stack of plates" in the sky. The cloud is a common feature in the skies near town of
Middlemarch
''Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life'' is a novel by English author George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans. It appeared in eight installments (volumes) in 1871 and 1872. Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midlands town, in 1829 ...
in the Strath-Taieri, a large glacial valley and river plateau in inland Otago.
A
Landsat 8
Landsat 8 is an American Earth observation satellite launched on 11 February 2013. It is the eighth satellite in the Landsat program and the seventh to reach orbit successfully. Originally called the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM), it i ...
satellite image taken on 7 September 2024 showed the Taieri Pet as an elongated cloud lying parallel to the Rock and Pillar Range and to the north of Middlemarch.
The name Taieri Pet given to the cloud formation appears in mentions of the weather in Otago newspapers as early as the 1890s. One report suggests that the name was given because the locals consider the cloud formation as their pet, being found only in their area. ''The Taieri Pet'' was also the name given to a local newsletter published by Middlemarch branch of Rural Women New Zealand for almost 40 years from 1982. The final edition was published in June 2021.
See also
*
Nor'west arch
The nor'west arch is a band of high white lenticular cloud that forms on the eastern side of New Zealand's South Island and which looks like an arch in an otherwise clear blue sky over the Southern Alps. It is accompanied by a strong hot northw ...
, a related effect over the
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand, New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The n ...
References
External links
Photo of Taieri Pet taken from the airTime-lapse video of Taieri Pet at sunsetat YouTube
{{Authority control
Climate of New Zealand
Otago
Clouds