We’ve been tracking a number of thunderstorms the past two weeks and we’ve received some incredible pictures to Click2Pins. I thought I’d take a little time and go over what you’ve sent in and explain what is happening in our atmosphere.
Mesoscale Convective System
First, let’s start with these incredible photos out of the Hill Country. If you are under these clouds, you are getting heavy rain, intense thunderstorms and possibly severe weather. But from a distance with good visibility, you are seeing what’s known as a Mesoscale Convective System. These are circular storms that cover a 60 mile area, and reach 50,000 feet in the sky. MCSs usually lasts about six hours.
Mammatus Clouds
After a strong storm system like this passes, you can get these rare mammatus clouds. Mammatus is Latin for mom... udder... Milking a cow, anyone?
These are rare because after a strong storm system moves through, the clouds on the back side of a storm have to stay thick. Cool air sinks into the clouds creating these pouches which look more like a part of an animal than a cloud. And the sun must be low on the horizon to create the detail.
Asperitas Clouds
And did you see these Sunday? These are the even rarer asperitas clouds. Latin for: to make rough or uneven. What you may not know is our atmosphere behaves a lot like waves in the ocean. These look like rough seas. And they form before storms arrive. They are similar to mammatus clouds in that cool air is penetrating the clouds but not in just one direction. The cool air is changing direction with height, which is creating waves in the clouds. They were first called undulatus asperatus clouds because of the undulations in the cloud.
We love seeing all your cloud and storm pictures and hope you will keep sharing them on Click2Pins.
MORE: Click2Pins: KPRC 2′s Anthony Yanez explains how to easily share videos, photos