Rare Tentacle Looking ‘Asperatus’ Clouds Captured Over Lake Ontario

The beauty of Mother Nature is all around us. You just have to stop and take a look. Sometimes she even creates breathtaking moments out of the simplest things. Just look what she did to create rare cloud formations over Lake Ontario.

Did you see them? The clouds that looked like octopus tentacles over Lake Ontario. "I have never seen anything like it," said photographer James Montanus, who captured the odd looking sky Tuesday, May 4.

Clouds that look like the sea on a windy day are called Asperatus from the Latin verb ‘aspero,' which means to make rough. And they are very rare. "Asperitas, formerly referred to as Undulatus Asperitas, is a distinctive, but relatively rare cloud formation that takes the appearance of rippling waves, according to the World Meteorological Organization's International Cloud Atlas.

This previously undocumented cloud formation was first proposed by the Cloud Appreciation Society in 2008 but wasn't accepted until 2015, making asperitas the first new cloud type in over 50 years.

The amazing photo is a finalist for pictures of severe weather from the largest meteorology Congress in Germany. "Who even knew that was a thing," Montanua joked.

If you think the shot took some kind of talent or special camera, Montanus said you'd be wrong. "It was a right time, right place type of deal. In fact, my girl friend alerted me to the clouds, otherwise I may have missed them. Anyone with a decent camera or cell phone could have gotten a good shot of this."

Montanus is just being modest. His talent shows in every shot he takes. The sunset he captured a few days the rare clouds is proof. "My Dad used to tell me, 'son, if you see clearing on the horizon to the west just before sunset, grab your camera and go,'" Montanus said. "That's just what I did. It was a highly improbable sunset with all the clouds, but I waited until this happened."

You can see all his photography talent on Facebook or at Montanusphotogrpahy.com.