The video of this strange, but beautiful vortex formation was captured at sunrise on November 4 by a couple in Timbercreek Canyon, Texas near Amarillo.
No, it is not an alien wormhole that can transport us through time and space.
Rather, it's called a "roll cloud," or an arcus cloud, according to National Geographic.
Stephen Corfidi, a meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explains that the odd shape forms when air temperatures invert, meaning the warm air is on top of the cool air. When this happens, winds change speed and direction at the inversion and the roll results.
Have you ever seen a roll cloud? Chances are probably not.
Roll clouds happen so infrequently because conditions must be just right for them to form.
They require just the right amount of moisture, which is why roll clouds tend to appear at the edge of thunderstorms in the early morning. According to Live Science, the storm winds push the moisture into a tubular shape, and then move it ahead of the rest of the storm. Too much moisture will form too many clouds, hiding the special roll cloud from view.
If you ever get to experience this natural beauty that only occurs in "perfect storm" conditions, consider yourself lucky!
[h/t National Geographic]
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