Did you see those holes in the clouds over Whatcom County? It’s not aliens

No, the aliens out of “Independence Day” are not preparing a hostile takeover of Bellingham, and any reports that the Acid Ball is punching holes in the clouds over Whatcom County appear to be only speculation.

But a number of residents of the City of Subdued excitement Monday afternoon did observe several unusual cloud formations over Whatcom County Monday afternoon.

They are fallstreak holes, or “hole punch clouds,” according to the National Weather Service. Fallstreaks appear as large or elliptical holes in cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds.

Fallstreaks usually begin to form when an object, such as a airplane, pass through a high- to mid-level cloud, according to the National Weather Service. These clouds are made of tiny water droplets that are colder than freezing, but have yet to form ice crystals.

Once a plane or other object passes through the clouds, ice crystals begin to form, and the water droplets quickly freeze, grow and start to fall, the National Weather Service said. The falling droplets leave a hole behind, which expands outward as nearby droplets freeze and drop in a domino effect.

The National Weather Service office in Seattle also tweeted some photos of what fallstreaks look like from above.

According to social media posts, the fallstreaks were seen over Bellingham Bay, over the Barkley neighborhood, over the Western Washington University campus, south of Lynden by the Nooksack River and in Birch Bay.

This story was originally published January 28, 2019 at 12:00 AM.