What is that cloud? Mother Nature shows off interesting cloud formation in Houston area

HOUSTON – Thunderstorms rolled through the Houston area Friday morning, bringing heavy rains and high winds.

• CLICK2PINS | Viewers share photos, videos as severe thunderstorms hit Houston area ⛈️

The storms have moved offshore now, but in their wake, they left the perfect conditions for Mother Nature to show off a certain type of cloud.

Viewers posted multiple photos through Click2Pins showing off the horizontal cloud.

This cloud is known as a roll cloud. The National Weather Service defines a roll cloud as “A low, horizontal tube-shaped arcus cloud associated with a thunderstorm gust front (or sometimes with a cold front).”

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While they may look ominous, most of the time roll clouds are harmless. They can sometimes foreshadow an arriving thunderstorm, however, in the absence of storms, roll clouds can sometimes form on certain types of boundaries in the area.

From personal experience, the wind can sometimes suddenly increase behind a roll cloud. I have personally experienced a roll cloud on Lake Conroe several years ago. While there was not a storm associated with it, I do remember it getting quite windy once the cloud passed.

• Storm Tracker 2 is out on the roadway as severe thunderstorms, heavy winds move across the Houston area