The Beginning and the End - Clouds of the Day - July 28, 2023

Altocumulus floccus are forming in the mid afternoon on a hot July afternoon. This cloud type will often precede the formation of showers and thunderstorms. On this day these clouds were indicating the formation of updrafts in the mid-levels of the atmosphere. While showers and storms do not always follow you can notice happens when these and other Altocumulus form. You may see thicker cumulus form which grow into cumulus congestus and cumulonimbus (thunderstorms).

The two photos here are of clouds that formed before (above) and after (below) thunderstorms developed and moved through the area. There were severe storm warnings for hail and high winds nearby. While we heard non-stop thunder, the rain was light with only .12 inches recorded. Stronger storms with more rain formed to our northeast and west, all moving southeast.

These mammatus clouds (below) form on the underside of a thunderstorm anvil when downward moving air currents creates protuberances from the base of the anvil. These clouds are not dangerous but they are distinctive and are frequently associated with strong thunderstorms. In this photo he mammatus are obviously in the background with a low level cumulus cloud in the foreground. At the time our winds were calm and there was no rain.

The yellow cast on the mammatus is due to the light from the setting Sun illuminating them. Sunlight includes all colors seen in a rainbow but at sunset or sunrise sunlight travels along a much longer path in the atmosphere than at midday. In this case the yellow and orange colors dominate the color of the light while other colors are filtered out by the Earth’s atmosphere.

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