When you’re a nation that can talk for hours about drizzle, sunshine “with a bite,” and whether it’s finally barbecue weather, a contest like the Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 is practically inevitable. It’s nice to know that almost half the entries weren’t taken with some fancy-pants DSLR, but with good old smartphones. The cool clouds form when a layer of fast-moving air slides over a slower layer, creating a rolling, wave-like pattern in the clouds that looks like ocean waves frozen in the sky. “In 2019, on the eve of Typhoon Lingling, a supercell storm appeared over the city of Shanghai, China,” says photographer He Wei. Altocumulus stratiformis clouds are mid-level clouds that form broad, layered sheets, often signalling stable atmospheric conditions.