A breathtaking series of images captured by helicopter pilot JR Hott show a natural phenomenon that appears to be a though tsunami crashing over the Florida coastline.
However, the natural phenomenon which appeared in Panama City is far less destructive – waves of clouds.
The images show the low-lying haze swooping over high-rise buildings down the coast.
KATU reports JR Hott captured the images hovering over the Gulf of Mexico after one of his pilots came in from a flight on Sunday.
Before his chopper could be engulfed by the heavy fog, JR Hott flew up to capture the wave-like formations.
“We jumped into helicopter and took off,’ he said. But he didn’t have long to descend.
“Within a few minutes after we landed, it covered up the helipad,” the seasoned pilot said.
The natural phenomenon “waves of clouds” occurred as a result of warm, moist air forming "just right" as it blew into the coastline, forming a low-lying fog that dissipates as the air cools with altitude
According to Dr. Greg Forbes, of Weather.com, the phenomenon occurred as a result of warm, moist air forming “just right” as it blew into the coastline, forming a low-lying fog that dissipates as the air cools with altitude.
Dr. Greg Forbes explained on the website: “You see the clouds forming off shore, as the winds from south to north push them toward and then up over the high rises as the air rises and reaches its crest.
“And then sinks back down and lowers the relative humidity and the clouds dissipate.
“The other thing that’s happening is with friction, the air slows down as it just begins to move onshore.
“That gives it a little extra convergence and an upward forcing of the air to rise. But it must be that relative humidity needing to be just right that… explains why we don’t see this kind of a picture every day.”
JR Hott, posted the images on Facebook, and they’ve since swept the internet, receiving an overwhelming response.
“Oh my God, we’ve got thousands of shares and thousands of likes,” he told KATU.
“It’s amazing to me how this thing has gone nuts,” he said.
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While ordinary Americans get only a few days off for Christmas, President Barack Obama has announced his Christmas vacation to Hawaii – for a staggering 17-day trip.
Barack Obama, who visited Hawaii just two weeks ago for an economic summit, will head to Honolulu on Saturday December 17 until Monday January 2.
The American president, who was raised in Hawaii until he was six, will be joined by his wife Michelle and their daughters, Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10.
The White House travel office announced Barack Obama has no public events scheduled for the trip.
Barack Obama, who visited Hawaii just two weeks ago for an economic summit, will head to Honolulu on Saturday December 17 until Monday January 2
Obama family covers the cost of a private beach front residence in Kailua, Oahu, for their vacation – a “Winter White House” that costs up to $3,500 a day, or $75,000 a month.
But the local and federal taxpayers help pay the bill for president’s family travel and security.
In 2010, Obama family’s trip cost more than $1 million, according to the Hawaii Reporter.
A hotel bill of $134,400 covered 24 White House staff staying in the Moana Hotel at a rate of $400 a day.
The estimate, by the Hawaii Reporter, also included $250,000 for local police overtime, $1 million for the president’s own round trip flight to Hawaii on Air Force One, and $10,000 for a local ambulance to accompany the presidential motorcade.
Barack Obama announced the trip during a campaign fundraiser on Oahu’s Leeward Coast during his stay on the island last month.
“It is great to be home, great to feel that Aloha spirit,” Barack Obama said.
“And Michelle and the girls will be back shortly for Christmas vacation, as we do every year. We’ll see if Washington gets its business done, so I can get here as well. But that’s always a challenge.”
Obama family’s trip to Hawaii last year was followed by an 11-day stay in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, earlier this year, which is also believed to have cost the U.S. taxpayer millions.
Next week, Barack Obama will be saving a few cents by hosting a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Barack Obama will speak with Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the White House about economic competitiveness, security and key global issues.
Stephen Harper has urged Barack Obama to support an oil pipeline from western Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.
However, Barack Obama administration said last month it was delaying a decision on the project until it can study new potential routes that would avoid environmentally sensitive areas in the Midwest. The decision is expected to be delayed until 2013.
