A unique cloud formation called the Levanter was recently caught on camera in stunning detail and its timelapse version was posted by Met Office Gibraltar on Twitter. The cloud formation is named after the Levant wind that blows westward in the region. In the video, the Levanter cloud appears to be flowing off the peak of the Rock of Gibraltar, located in the British territory of the same name in Europe. The site is famous for its flora and fauna that isn't usually found in other European countries.
"The London Gatwick @easyJet flight taxiing and taking off from @RAF_Gib this morning with the backdrop of some impressive #Levanter cloud over the Rock of #Gibraltar. The #levanter cloud just keeps getting better today!" Met Office Gibraltar said in its tweet.
The video, captured at Gibraltar International Airport, was posted on August 24, but is gaining traction now.
The cloud appears to form out of thin air around the peak of nearly 1,400-feet-tall Rock of Gibraltar. The 21-second clip has received more than four million views and over three thousand likes since being posted.
The Levanter is a type of "banner cloud", where air flows around a mountain. According to UK Met Office, banner cloud is a type of orographic cloud, which is created due to the shape of the land below it.
"When the wind blows against a hill or mountain it is forced to lift. Air cools as it rises and the water vapour within it condenses to form a cloud," the Met Office website further said.
These clouds form in a layer and then remain stationary, either around the peak or as the video from Gibraltar shows gets blown away by the wind.
