Since Indonesia suffered multiple deadly tsunamis last year, the latest of which was last month’s volcano-triggered tsunami in the Sunda Strait, it’s understandable that anything resembling killer waves could cause some public paranoia — even if it was in the sky instead of the sea.
On the first day of 2019, dark clouds shaped like a tsunami appeared in the sky above the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar. Photos and videos of the ominous sight went viral online.
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As ominous as they appeared, such cloud formations are generally nothing to worry about (other than for their potential to come with heavy rain and strong winds) as they are actually quite common.
“The cloud is a combination of various types: Cumulonimbus, low stratus, and medium and high clouds,” local weather forecaster Rahmat said as quoted by Liputan 6.
The clouds did come with some extreme weather conditions though, with five planes having to hold their landing approach to Makassar’s Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport for about 20 minutes until the weather cleared.
The general manager of AirNav at Makassar’s Air Traffic Service Centre (MATSC), Novy Pantaryanto, said cumulonimbus clouds contain ice and lightning particles, which could be dangerous for planes.
“Because Cumulonimbus clouds contain ice particles, they can freeze airplane engines. Also, pilots avoid them because of the whirlwind in the clouds,” Novy Pantaryanto said today as quoted by Kompas.
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