Do You See What They See?

We asked several local TV weather forecasters to set aside their meteorological training and tell us what shapes they see in these three cloud images.

Doug Hill, WJLA (Channel 7) : My first reaction was that it resembles a mother walrus with her baby in tow. The pair of mammals swimming in a clear blue sea.

Sue Palka, WTTG (Channel 5) : It looks like the top of a giant octopus floating through the sky in search of its eight legs! There appears to be a sycophant hanging behind it in search of its own appendages.

Bob Ryan, WRC (Channel 4 ): Beam me up, Scotty. Imagine seeing these clouds just after you've come out of a science fiction movie. Actually these stacked lenticular clouds have been mistaken for flying saucers and UFOs. They usually form on the downwind side of mountain ranges, and I have seen some small ones here in Washington that were produced by waves in the atmosphere generated by air rushing up and over the Appalachians.

Topper Shutt, WUSA (Channel 9) : "Captain, I have the shields at full power." Or "Scotty, prepare for warp drive!"

Doug Hill: This cloud struck me as what it really is, a cumulus fractus cloud -- a fair weather cloud being torn apart by strong winds blowing through it. It could represent almost anything that is being torn apart.

Sue Palka: Apparently I'm feeling really landlocked lately because once again I see a sea creature. It's a Maryland blue crab in the only place left it can feel really safe . . . unless of course, the space shuttle blasts through it or Air Force One rips it apart.

Bob Ryan: This fluffy cumulus cloud looks like a poodle swimming across the sky. It's cold up there, because if you look closely on the right side, you can see the little cloud where his breath condenses in the cool moist air.

Topper Shutt: If you stare at this formation long enough, you can see a number of things. I can see two bunnies kissing.

Doug Hill: It doesn't conjure up any image in my mind. In fact it is unlike any cloud formation I have ever seen. . . . After staring at it, squinting at it and pondering it, close up, far off, with glasses, without glasses . . . even looking at it upside down, I just don't know what to think about. Sorry.

Sue Palka: Quick, somebody issue a tornado warning! Either that or it's a special effect for Iceland's version of "The Wizard of Oz."

Bob Ryan: We should be hearing the music of "Swan Lake" in the background of this cloud since it is a ballerina in the sky. Can't see her? Look at the graceful extension of her arm to the upper left and there she is standing on one toe on that flat stage of a cloud below her. Why you can even see her tutu surrounding her middle, and her leg below.

Topper Shutt: Hey, where's the chocolate sauce and the cherry on top? It looks like a chocolate sundae missing a few important condiments.