American Meteorological Society - Glossary of Meteorology

Kelvin–Helmholtz billows

  1. Cloud forms that arise from Kelvin–Helmholtz waves.
  2. Vortical structures that result from the growth and nonlinear development of unstable waves in a shear flow.
    The billows get their name from the instability responsible for the growth of the unstable waves, Kelvin–Helmholtz instability.