Tenerife's Ichasagua Rock Dons Cloud "Hat"
Tenerife's Ichasagua Rock, also known as Conde Rock, was seen today adorned with a distinctive lenticular altocumulus cloud 'hat', a striking image captured and shared online.
Ichasagua Rock, also known as Conde Rock, in Tenerife, was seen today wearing a curious cloud 'hat'. The striking image was captured and shared by the Instagram account 'El profe de biología'.
This mountain, located in Adeje near the coast, stands about 1,000 meters high.
Hikers can reach its summit using the popular local trail TF-218. This busy route begins in Vento, a village in the neighbouring municipality of Arona.
The Instagram account commented on the sight: "In Adeje, we also have our natural 'icons'. Conde Rock or Ichasagua Rock woke up with a hat today, a sign of high humidity."
This cloud hat is a sight often associated with Teide, Tenerife's famous volcano. The writer Benito Pérez Galdós even mentioned it in his 1878 novel 'Marianela,' describing Teide as "a mountain that wears a hat of clouds, and when it takes it off, it's a sign that it's going to rain."
The type of cloud seen on Ichasagua Rock today is called a lenticular altocumulus. It's a stationary cloud that looks like a lens or a saucer and forms at mid-level heights.
These clouds form when moist, stable air moves over mountains, creating waves in the atmosphere. If the air at the top of these waves gets cold enough, the water vapour condenses and forms these distinctive clouds.
Because of their smooth, symmetrical shape, they often look like UFOs. This is why they frequently catch the eye in photos and when people are looking at the sky.