Taieri Pet Explained

The Taieri Pet is a lenticular cloud formation that occurs in the Strath-Taieri region of Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. The cloud formation is created when north-westerly winds are forced upwards over the Rock and Pillar Range.

The Rock and Pillar Range lies almost perpendicular to the direction of the prevailing north-westerly Foehn wind. The range is steep-sided and has a flat top. Lenticular clouds form when strong northwesterly winds flow up and over the mountain range, creating a standing wave. The air cools as it rises, and the water vapour in the air condenses to form clouds. The Taieri Pet cloud formation can sometimes appear in layers and has been described as a "huge stack of plates" in the sky. The cloud is a common feature in the skies near town of Middlemarch in the Strath-Taieri, a large glacial valley and river plateau in inland Otago.^{[1] [2] [3]}

A Landsat 8 satellite image taken on 7 September 2024 showed the Taieri Pet as an elongated cloud lying parallel to the Rock and Pillar Range and to the north of Middlemarch.^{[4] [5] [6]}

The name Taieri Pet given to the cloud formation appears in mentions of the weather in Otago newspapers as early as the 1890s.^{[7] [8]} One report suggests that the name was given because the locals consider the cloud formation as their pet, being found only in their area.^[9] The Taieri Pet was also the name given to a local newsletter published by Middlemarch branch of Rural Women New Zealand for almost 40 years from 1982. The final edition was published in June 2021.^{[10] [11]}

See also

• Nor'west arch, a related effect over the Southern Alps

External links

• Photo of Taieri Pet taken from the air
• Time-lapse video of Taieri Pet at sunset at YouTube

Notes and References

1. News: Doermann . Lindsey . 18 September 2024 . Suspended in Sky: The Ethereal Dance of Otago's Taieri Pet Cloud . 19 September 2024 . SciTechDaily.
2. Web site: Lewis . John . 1 September 2020 . Spectacular cloud formation takes pilot's eye . live . http://web.archive.org/web/20210605011312/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/spectacular-cloud-formation-takes-pilot%E2%80%99s-eye . 5 June 2021 . 18 September 2024 . . en-NZ.
3. Web site: 21 April 2020 . Wind in the Mountains . 19 September 2024 . Wilderlife . en-NZ . 22 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240922102555/https://wilderlife.nz/2020/04/wind-in-the-mountains/ . live .
4. Web site: Dempsey . Caitlin . 17 September 2024 . Lenticular Clouds . live . http://web.archive.org/web/20240918211530/https://www.geographyrealm.com/lenticular-clouds/ . 18 September 2024 . 18 September 2024 . Geography Realm . en-US.
5. Web site: 13 September 2024 . Marvelous Lenticularis . 18 September 2024 . . en-US.
6. Web site: McNeilly . Hamish . 19 September 2024 . In the cloud: the localised Kiwi weather pattern turning heads . 19 September 2024 . Stuff.
7. News: 29 October 1896 . Middlemarch . . 26 . Papers Past . 2226 . 18 September 2024 . 22 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240922102442/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW18961029.2.111 . live .
8. News: 19 September 1898 . Some Nondescript Notes on Upper Taieri . . Papers Past . XXIX . 221 . 18 September 2024 . 22 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240922102535/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18980919.2.13 . live .
9. News: 19 September 2024 . Fluffy pet cloud spotted from space . 19 September 2024 . . 19 September 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240919001821/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/fluffy-pet-cloud-spotted-space . live .
10. April 2021 . Newsletter for Middlemarch, Hyde, Macraes, Hindon, Black Rock and Lee Stream . The Taieri Pet . 453.
11. Web site: Ryder . Wyatt . 15 June 2021 . Auf Wiedersehen, 'Pet', hello 'Post' . 18 September 2024 . . en-NZ.