Unusual Clouds Appear Over Sarawak Town
Recently in a Sarawak town called Bintulu, residents observed a strange phenomenon in the sky.
At first glance, the foreboding grey skies appeared to be horizontally split by a thin strip of white.
Source: Bintulu News Page on Facebook
However, meteorologists reassured residents that the phenomenon is not a sign of imminent danger.
Sarawak sky looks split in half
According to the Bintulu News Page on Facebook, residents first captured pictures of the sky on Thursday (6 Apr) morning.
Source: Bintulu News Page on Facebook
In awe of the spectacle before them, eager residents from all around town submitted their photos to the Facebook page.
From the perspective of one passer-by, the grey sky above a cluster of buildings seemed to be diagonally split.
Source: Bintulu News Page on Facebook
Meanwhile, presumably in another part of town, the clouds formed a graceful arc in the Sarawak sky.
Source: Bintulu News Page on Facebook
As it turns out, there is a scientific name and explanation for the visual spectacle.
The Borneo Post reported that the phenomenon is an arcus cloud formation.
Citing the Malaysia Meteorology Department (MetMalaysia), the report stated that the formation exists in tropical areas and is usually accompanied by cumulonimbus clouds.
Additionally, MetMalaysia shared that the phenomenon has been occurring more frequently in Sabah and Sarawak.
Arcus clouds not uncommon in East Malaysia
On 1 July 2022, residents in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, allegedly spotted the same horizontal clouds.
According to The Rakyat Post, the phenomenon occurred before strong winds and torrential rain hit the town.
Source: @SabahnewstodayN on Twitter
Furthermore, MetMalaysia had issued a warning that day, cautioning residents of an incoming storm.
However, Malaysian climatologist Dr Ramzah Dambul told residents not to panic.
“Indeed this is a sign of bad weather, but not as dangerous as a typhoon,” he said in a Facebook post.
Clouds in Sarawak sky not a sign of immediate danger
Hence, despite the ominous look of the clouds, they seem to be relatively harmless.
Based on the earlier incident in 2022, this visual phenomenon is not a sign of a natural disaster.
That said, according to a weather report by MetMalaysia, Sarawak did see heavy rains and thunderstorms on Thursday morning.
Source: METMalaysia on YouTube
Luckily for the residents of Bintulu, the clouds were only a sign of incoming rain and nothing more.
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Featured image adapted from Bintulu News Page on Facebook.
