Video: A “cloud waterfall” in the Jura, what is this meteorological phenomenon?

What is a cloud waterfall?

Cloud cascades, also called cascading clouds, typically occur when a moist air mass encounters a geographic barrier, such as a mountain or cliff.

The humid air, passing over the relief, cools quickly and forms clouds which seem to “slide” down the slope. This appearance of a waterfall is in fact a movement of air and steam, favored by specific winds and a marked temperature difference between the two sides of the mountain.

Where and when to observe this phenomenon in the French mountains?

Cloud cascades are visible in several French mountainous regions, particularly when conditions are favorable for the phenomenon of inversion fog. Haut-Doubs in the Jura massif is therefore a privileged place for these natural spectacles. Although rare, these phenomena often appear by clear weather, after cold nights which create thermal inversion, and when humid air heats up as it rises.