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Were Ullapool's UFO Clouds Really Unexplained?

The Ullapool cloud photographs show how a striking Highland sky can become a UFO story while still having a natural explanation.

On this page

  • What was photographed over Loch Broom
  • Why lenticular clouds resemble flying saucers
  • How explained cases still matter to UFO history
Preview for Were Ullapool's UFO Clouds Really Unexplained?

Introduction

The Ullapool “UFO clouds” were not a mystery craft over Loch Broom. They were a striking natural cloud formation, photographed in April 2015 by Neil Borthwick from Ullapool and widely described as flying-saucer-shaped because of their smooth, lens-like outline. Contemporary local and national reporting identified them as lenticular clouds, a recognised weather phenomenon that can form when stable, moist air flows over hills or mountains. [Deadline News+2Press and Journal]deadlinenews.co.uk54-year-old snapped the clouds aboveDeadline NewsUFOs spotted in sky above Scotland - Deadline NewsApril 10, 2015 — 10 Apr 2015 — Neil Borthwick took these remarkable pictur…Published: April 10, 2015

Overview image for Ullapool Clouds That makes the episode useful rather than embarrassing for Cromartyshire’s UFO history. Ullapool sits in the western historic county area, on Loch Broom, where sea loch, steep ground and Highland weather can produce dramatic skies. The case shows how a sincere photograph of something unusual can become a UFO-flavoured news item while still having a grounded explanation. It is best understood as an explained local sky event: not evidence of a craft, but a memorable example of how natural lookalikes enter the UFO record.

What Was Photographed Over Loch Broom?

The published account centred on photographs taken above Loch Broom from Ullapool on a Thursday night in April 2015. Neil Borthwick’s images showed smooth, stacked, disc-like clouds, the sort of shape that instantly invites “flying saucer” comparisons. The Press and Journal framed the reader’s question plainly — were these UFOs over Ullapool, or just clouds? — and the answer was already leaning towards the latter: the formation was identified as lenticular cloud. [Press and Journal]pressandjournal.co.ukPress and Journal Are these UFOs in the skies over Ullapool?Or just clouds?10 Apr 2015 — Neil Borthwick captured the pictures of flying-saucer shaped clouds from his home in Ullapool last night aft…

Deadline News similarly described the sight as “flying saucer-shaped clouds” above Loch Broom and identified the mechanism as rare lenticular clouds formed when air is pushed upwards by mountains. The report is important because it did not present the photographs as a hard UFO claim. It treated them as a spectacular sky scene whose appearance overlapped with UFO imagery. [Deadline News]deadlinenews.co.uk54-year-old snapped the clouds aboveDeadline NewsUFOs spotted in sky above Scotland - Deadline NewsApril 10, 2015 — 10 Apr 2015 — Neil Borthwick took these remarkable pictur…Published: April 10, 2015

The location matters. Loch Broom is a sea loch on the west coast of the Highlands, with shores in Ross-shire and Cromartyshire; Wikishire places Ullapool on the eastern shore and describes Loch Broom as lying between the mountains of Wester Ross and the Scoraig peninsula. [Wikishire]wikishire.co.ukLoch BroomLoch Broom The Gazetteer for Scotland-style county account of Cromartyshire also places Coigach and Ullapool in the county’s western portion, describing the area as one of stark beauty with mountains rising from lochs. [Gazetteer]gazetteer.org.ukOpen source on gazetteer.org.uk.

For a Cromartyshire UFO page, that geography is not decorative background. It is part of the explanation. A flat, lowland setting would make mountain-wave clouds less expected. Ullapool’s loch-and-mountain setting makes the “saucer cloud” explanation more plausible from the start.

Ullapool Clouds illustration 1

Why Lenticular Clouds Look Like Flying Saucers

Lenticular clouds are sometimes called “UFO clouds” because their appearance overlaps almost perfectly with the popular image of a flying saucer: smooth edges, oval or circular profile, a flattened body and sometimes stacked layers. The Met Office explains that lenticular clouds form when air blowing across a mountain range sets up large standing waves downstream; where there is enough moisture, the rising part of the wave causes water vapour to condense into the distinctive cloud shape. [Met Office]weather.metoffice.gov.ukMet OfficeUnusual cloud formations… UFO sightings across the world. How do lenticular clouds form? When air… Lenticular clouds are a…

The Cloud Appreciation Society gives the same reader-level clue: lenticularis clouds are named for their lens shape and often look remarkably like flying saucers. Its explanation of a classic example notes that the cloud can appear almost stationary even in strong winds because it forms at a fixed place in a standing wave, with air continually flowing through it. [Cloud Appreciation Society]cloudappreciationsociety.orgOpen source on cloudappreciationsociety.org.

That “hovering” effect is central to why people report them as UFO-like. A witness may see a smooth disc apparently sitting over a ridge or loch, not behaving like an ordinary drifting cloud. In reality, the cloud is not a solid object parked in the sky. It is a visible patch of condensation forming and evaporating in the same zone of moving air.

A simple way to read a suspected lenticular cloud is to ask whether it has these features:

  • A smooth, lens-like or pancake shape rather than a hard metallic outline.
  • A position near hills or mountains, especially downwind of high ground.
  • Little apparent movement, even though other clouds or winds may be active.
  • Slow changes in shape or thickness, rather than sharp turns, acceleration or structured lights.
  • Layering or stacking, which can make the cloud look engineered from a distance.

None of those signs proves an image is natural on its own. Together, though, they make the Ullapool photographs fit a known weather pattern much better than an unknown aircraft or anomalous object.

What Are Lenticular Clouds? (They Look Like UFOs!)

Channel: The National Weather Desk

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Why Ullapool Was a Good Place for a “Saucer Cloud” Story

Ullapool is often described in modern terms as part of Wester Ross or the Highland council area, but within this project it belongs to historic Cromartyshire. Wikishire describes Ullapool as a fishing village on Loch Broom in Cromartyshire, and the Association of British Counties notes that Cromartyshire includes the mountainous district of Coigach and the port of Ullapool on the west coast. [Wikishire]wikishire.co.ukOpen source on wikishire.co.uk.

That boundary point is worth spelling out because many UFO databases and news reports do not use historic county labels. A sighting or sky photograph at Ullapool may be filed as Highland, Ross and Cromarty, Wester Ross or simply Scotland. For a map-based historic county project, however, the Ullapool cloud episode is a legitimate Cromartyshire example, provided it is described carefully and not inflated into an unexplained case.

The local landscape also helps explain why the image travelled. Ullapool is small, scenic and open to big skies over Loch Broom. Visitors and residents look across water towards ridges, slopes and changing Atlantic weather. In such a setting, a clean disc-shaped cloud is both photogenic and easy to frame as uncanny.

This is exactly the sort of case that can become a local UFO reference even when nobody involved is making a strong extraterrestrial claim. The word “UFO” enters through appearance, headline language and cultural shorthand. The underlying event remains meteorological.

What Makes This an Explained Case, Not a Weak Mystery?

The Ullapool photographs have three features that push them firmly towards “explained”.

First, the reported appearance matches a recognised cloud type. Lenticular clouds are not a vague catch-all explanation; they have a specific formation mechanism linked to stable air, mountain waves and condensation. The Met Office explicitly notes that these clouds are a visible sign of mountain waves and that their shape has made them a common explanation for UFO sightings. [Met Office]weather.metoffice.gov.ukMet OfficeUnusual cloud formations… UFO sightings across the world. How do lenticular clouds form? When air… Lenticular clouds are a…

Second, the location fits the mechanism. Loch Broom and Ullapool sit in mountainous west-coast Highland terrain. The local geography gives the wind something to flow over and around, which is exactly the kind of setting needed for wave clouds. [Wikishire]wikishire.co.ukLoch BroomLoch Broom

Third, the original reporting did not rest on claims of impossible movement, radar confirmation, close encounter details, physical traces or official alarm. It was a set of photographs of unusual-looking clouds, quickly linked to a known natural explanation. [Deadline News]deadlinenews.co.uk54-year-old snapped the clouds aboveDeadline NewsUFOs spotted in sky above Scotland - Deadline NewsApril 10, 2015 — 10 Apr 2015 — Neil Borthwick took these remarkable pictur…Published: April 10, 2015

That does not make the sighting worthless. It makes it useful in a different way. In UFO history, explained cases are not merely clutter. They help show how reports are generated, how headlines shape public memory, and how ordinary observers can encounter something genuinely rare-looking without encountering anything anomalous.

Ullapool Clouds illustration 2

Natural UFO Lookalikes Around the Highlands

The Ullapool case belongs to a wider category of natural lookalikes that often appear in UFO reporting. Reuters, summarising common explanations for UFO sightings, included saucer-shaped lenticular clouds alongside weather balloons, meteors, aircraft, planets and other familiar causes of mistaken identity. [Reuters]reuters.comFACTBOX: Explanations for UFO sightingsFACTBOX: Explanations for UFO sightings

For Cromartyshire and neighbouring Highland areas, the most relevant lookalikes are not random. They reflect the landscape and weather:

Lenticular clouds are the key Ullapool mechanism. They can appear smooth, oval, layered and strangely stationary over or beyond hills. Their surface can look too polished to be an ordinary cloud, especially at sunrise or sunset.

Iridescent or sunlit cloud edges can add colour to the illusion. A normal cloud can seem metallic, glowing or structured when low-angle light catches its edge.

Distant aircraft and ferry-route lights can be misread over sea lochs when there are few reference points. A slow light over water or hills can look more mysterious than the same light over a city.

Bright planets and stars can appear surprisingly low over a dark horizon. In remote areas with less light pollution, a bright stationary point may draw attention precisely because the rest of the sky is so clear.

The Ullapool photographs stand out because the lookalike was not a dot of light but a large, shaped form. That makes them more visually satisfying than many routine misidentifications — and also easier to explain once the cloud type is recognised.

Why Do Lenticular Clouds Look Exactly Like UFOs in the Sky?

Channel: SciCuriousID

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How Explained Cases Still Matter to UFO History

It is tempting to exclude an explained cloud photograph from UFO history altogether. That would miss the point. UFO history is not only a record of unresolved objects; it is also a record of how people interpret unusual things in the sky.

The UK’s official UFO record is full of this tension. The National Archives notes that the Ministry of Defence UFO files contain reports and correspondence that vary greatly in content, while its research guide explains that many surviving MoD UFO files were reviewed and released because of public interest. [The National Archives]nationalarchives.gov.ukOpen source on nationalarchives.gov.uk. A GOV.UK page for UFO reports from 1997 to 2009 describes them as lists giving dates, times, locations and brief descriptions, not as proof that each report involved an extraordinary object. [GOV.UK]GOV.UKufo reports in the ukufo reports in the uk

The Ullapool cloud photographs show the same principle at a local level. A report can be culturally “UFO-like” without being evidentially unresolved. It can be memorable, widely shared and useful for skywatchers while still belonging in the explained column.

For readers assessing future Cromartyshire or Highland reports, the case suggests three practical questions:

  1. Does the setting favour a known sky effect? Around Ullapool, mountains and lochs make cloud and light effects especially important.
  2. Is the claim based mainly on shape? A saucer shape alone is weak evidence when lenticular clouds are possible.
  3. Did later reporting add stronger evidence? In the Ullapool case, later attention reinforced the cloud explanation rather than weakening it.

That is why this page matters within the Cromartyshire branch. It offers a local, concrete example of a natural UFO lookalike and gives readers a better filter for interpreting more ambiguous Highland reports.

Ullapool Clouds illustration 3

The Best Reading of the Ullapool UFO Clouds

The fairest classification is simple: the Ullapool “UFO clouds” were an explained lenticular cloud episode photographed over Loch Broom in April 2015. They were visually striking, genuinely unusual to many observers, and entirely relevant to a county-level UFO project because they show how Cromartyshire’s landscape can generate dramatic sky phenomena. [Deadline News+2Press and Journal]deadlinenews.co.uk54-year-old snapped the clouds aboveDeadline NewsUFOs spotted in sky above Scotland - Deadline NewsApril 10, 2015 — 10 Apr 2015 — Neil Borthwick took these remarkable pictur…Published: April 10, 2015

They should not be presented as an unresolved sighting. There is no strong evidence here for an object, craft, military incident or official investigation. The interest lies in the mechanism: a Highland weather effect producing a shape that popular culture has trained people to read as a saucer.

That makes Ullapool’s cloud story a useful cautionary anchor. In a county where the UFO record is thin and boundaries are complicated, the strongest local lesson may be that not every memorable sky story needs to remain mysterious to be worth recording. Some cases matter because they show exactly how the mystery begins.

How Lenticular Clouds Form to Look Like UFOs

Channel: Popular Science

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Endnotes

  1. Source: weather.metoffice.gov.uk
    Link: https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/clouds/unusual-cloud-formations
    Source snippet

    Met OfficeUnusual cloud formations... UFO sightings across the world. How do lenticular clouds form? When air... Lenticular clouds are a...

  2. Source: reuters.com
    Title: FACTBOX: Explanations for UFO sightings
    Link: https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/factbox-explanations-for-ufo-sightings-idUSL13131852/

  3. Source: nationalarchives.gov.uk
    Link: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/explore-by-time-period/postwar/ufo-reports/

  4. Source: nationalarchives.gov.uk
    Link: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/ufos/

  5. Source: GOV.UK
    Title: ufo reports in the uk
    Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ufo-reports-in-the-uk

  6. Source: ullapool.com
    Link: https://www.ullapool.com/activities/

  7. Source: cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    Title: briefing guide 12 07 12
    Link: https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/briefing-guide-12-07-12.pdf

  8. Source: cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    Link: https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/the-ufo-files-extract.pdf

  9. Source: cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    Link: https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/podcast-transcript.pdf

  10. Source: cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    Link: https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/ufo-files-reveal-behind-the-scenes-of-the-ufo-desk.pdf

  11. Source: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Title: ufo report 2009
    Link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7582c440f0b6397f35efcb/ufo_report_2009.pdf

  12. Source: news.sky.com
    Title: what are the ufo clouds seen hanging over uk skies 13291303
    Link: https://news.sky.com/story/what-are-the-ufo-clouds-seen-hanging-over-uk-skies-13291303

  13. Source: weather.gov
    Link: https://www.weather.gov/abq/features_acsl

  14. Source: youtube.com
    Title: “How Lenticular Clouds Form to Look Like UFOs”
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s8n03Xlqyw
    Source snippet

    Lenticular Clouds - Why do they look like UFOs?...

  15. Source: deadlinenews.co.uk
    Title: 54-year-old snapped the clouds above
    Link: https://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2015/04/10/ufos-spotted-in-sky-above-scotland/
    Source snippet

    Deadline NewsUFOs spotted in sky above Scotland - Deadline NewsApril 10, 2015 — 10 Apr 2015 — Neil Borthwick took these remarkable pictur...

    Published: April 10, 2015

  16. Source: pressandjournal.co.uk
    Title: Press and Journal Are these UFOs in the skies over Ullapool?
    Link: https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands-islands/545909/ufos-skies-ullapool-just-clouds/
    Source snippet

    Or just clouds?10 Apr 2015 — Neil Borthwick captured the pictures of flying-saucer shaped clouds from his home in Ullapool last night aft...

  17. Source: wikishire.co.uk
    Title: Loch Broom
    Link: https://wikishire.co.uk/wiki/Loch_Broom

  18. Source: gazetteer.org.uk
    Link: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Cromartyshire

  19. Source: cloudappreciationsociety.org
    Link: https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/cloud-library/lenticularis/

  20. Source: cloudappreciationsociety.org
    Title: january 2015
    Link: https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/january-2015/
    Published: january 2015

  21. Source: wikishire.co.uk
    Link: https://wikishire.co.uk/wiki/Ullapool

  22. Source: cloudappreciationsociety.org
    Link: https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/gallery/photo/photo-n-269177

  23. Source: cloudappreciationsociety.org
    Title: Cloud of the Month Archives
    Link: https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/category/cloud-of-the-month/page/6/

  24. Source: cloudappreciationsociety.org
    Title: february 2017
    Link: https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/february-2017/
    Published: february 2017

  25. Source: cloudappreciationsociety.org
    Title: Cloud of the Month Archives
    Link: https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/category/cloud-of-the-month/page/5/

  26. Source: deadlinenews.co.uk
    Title: sky Archives
    Link: https://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/tag/sky/page/2/

  27. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: Lenticular cloud
    Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenticular_cloud

  28. Source: Wikipedia
    Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ullapool

  29. Source: dailyrecord.co.uk
    Title: met office ufo shaped clouds 32355770
    Link: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/met-office-ufo-shaped-clouds-32355770

  30. Source: wikishire.co.uk
    Title: Braes of Ullapool
    Link: https://wikishire.co.uk/wiki/Braes_of_Ullapool

  31. Source: ghostarchive.org
    Title: Lenticular clouds
    Link: https://ghostarchive.org/archive/N4HKO

Additional References

  1. Source: youtube.com
    Title: “What Are Lenticular Clouds? (They Look Like UFOs!)”
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_vyqjHRrcY
    Source snippet

    Why Do Lenticular Clouds Look Exactly Like UFOs in the Sky?...

  2. Source: youtube.com
    Title: “Why Do Lenticular Clouds Look Exactly Like UFOs in the Sky?”
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXoBYUWAcnk
    Source snippet

    How Lenticular Clouds Form to Look Like UFOs...

  3. Source: abcounties.com
    Link: https://abcounties.com/counties/county-profiles/cromartyshire/

  4. Source: history.co.uk
    Link: https://www.history.co.uk/articles/berwyn-mountain-ufo-the-welsh-roswell

  5. Source: instagram.com
    Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXPPkXgiHJB/

  6. Source: ssns.org.uk
    Link: https://www.ssns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/14_Baldwin_NWRoss_1994_pp_290-389.pdf

  7. Source: lochbroomcabins.com
    Link: https://lochbroomcabins.com/explore-loch-broom/

  8. Source: reddit.com
    Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/blackmagicfuckery/comments/v186jm/flying_saucer_shaped_lenticular_clouds_changing/

  9. Source: facebook.com
    Link: https://www.facebook.com/AstroKirsten/posts/have-you-seen-these-ufo-clouds-ufo-clouds-science-weird-meteorology-weather/944750934318832/

  10. Source: facebook.com
    Link: https://www.facebook.com/ScottDuncanWX/posts/insane-lenticular-clouds-in-the-northwest-highlands-of-scotland-like-giant-space/1244835443565449/

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