Images
December 21, 2025 - Spectacular Streaky Clouds off of Western Africa
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Long streaks of linear cloud filled the skies over western Africa and the nearby Atlantic Ocean on December 18, 2025. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the remarkable scene on that same day.
The complex patterns in the clouds reveal equally complex patterns in wind flow. A layer of white clouds near the top of the image (north) appear to be aligned in a north-south direction primarily over the land of Guinea-Bissau. Meanwhile, extremely long, thin clouds stretch along a northwest-to-southeast axis over the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, puffs of gray blow south to southeast and appear to rise from discrete points. These are likely puffs of smoke rising from small fires in contrast to the surrounding clouds. The bright white clouds appear to float at a higher elevation than the wispy grayer cloud.
According to NGA AgroClimate Tech, by December 19, a wave of rainfall activity in and around the Cape Verde Islands was becoming more widespread. This activity was influenced by significant upper-level disturbances. In addition, a convergent zone—an area where two prevailing wind flows meet and interact—was triggering heavy rainfall to the south.
The Cape Verde Islands lie just out of sight and to the northwest of this image. It is likely the dramatic and complex cloud cover was caused by the convergence of variable wind flows.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/18/2025
Resolutions:
1km (221 KB), 500m (517.9 KB), 250m (931.9 KB)
Bands Used:
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Long streaks of linear cloud filled the skies over western Africa and the nearby Atlantic Ocean on December 18, 2025. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the remarkable scene on that same day.
The complex patterns in the clouds reveal equally complex patterns in wind flow. A layer of white clouds near the top of the image (north) appear to be aligned in a north-south direction primarily over the land of Guinea-Bissau. Meanwhile, extremely long, thin clouds stretch along a northwest-to-southeast axis over the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, puffs of gray blow south to southeast and appear to rise from discrete points. These are likely puffs of smoke rising from small fires in contrast to the surrounding clouds. The bright white clouds appear to float at a higher elevation than the wispy grayer cloud.
According to NGA AgroClimate Tech, by December 19, a wave of rainfall activity in and around the Cape Verde Islands was becoming more widespread. This activity was influenced by significant upper-level disturbances. In addition, a convergent zone—an area where two prevailing wind flows meet and interact—was triggering heavy rainfall to the south.
The Cape Verde Islands lie just out of sight and to the northwest of this image. It is likely the dramatic and complex cloud cover was caused by the convergence of variable wind flows.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/18/2025
Resolutions:
1km (221 KB), 500m (517.9 KB), 250m (931.9 KB)
Bands Used:
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
