Connecticut commuters were shocked yesterday as a huge plume of heavy smoke appeared between Cheshire to Bristol. In fact, some even believed that it was from a fire somewhere nearby. And, based on the picture seen below – this looks to be quite an accurate assumption. Towards the bottom of the photo, it does seem as though grey smoke is appearing over the distance.

However, if you thought this then you’d be wrong. This is because it wasn’t actually smoke and was instead an interesting cloud phenomenon. It turns out that it was in fact an Orographic lift cloud. An orographic lift cloud, also known as an orographic cloud, is a type of cloud formation that occurs as a result of the orographic lift process.

Orographic lift refers to the lifting of air as it encounters a barrier such as a mountain range or a hill. When moist air is forced to rise over elevated terrain, it cools and condenses, leading to the formation of clouds.

Not only this but due to all the humidity, this cloud is closer to the ground, which further gives it the impression that it has been created after a nearby fire. So, rest assured, there isn’t some kind of mega-fire going on in Connecticut. However, it is still quite a cool sight, and is understandable that you may misconceive it as something different.