Orographic cloud, "The Tablecloth", pouring over the face of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Table Mountain (Khoikhoi: Hoerikwaggo, Afrikaans: Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the Flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park. The flat top of the mountain is often covered by orographic clouds, formed when a south-easterly wind is directed up the mountain's slopes into colder air, where the moisture condenses to form the so-called "Table cloth" of cloud. Legend attributes this phenomenon to a smoking contest between the Devil and a local pirate called Van Hunks. When the table cloth is seen, it symbolizes the contest. Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and create clouds and, under the right conditions, precipitation.

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Size: 4576px × 3056px
Location: Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa
Photo credit: © Derek Gale / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: adiabatic, africa, air, battle, cape, cloth, cloud, contest, devil, fog, humid, humidity, hunks, legend, mist, moisture, mountain, orographic, precipitation, rain, rising, rock, smoking, south, south-easterly, strata, table, tablecloth, town, van, wind