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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFive minutes after this photo, the sky turned deep black over our house
We are just 1/2 mile from center of town, shown here, but cannot see horizon because of all the trees around the place.
Had a very loud intense storm from this a few minutes after the pic was taken.
I found the pic on Twitter later that evening.
Some of you may recognize the white dome of the courthouse at the edge of the big red brick building.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)haikugal
(6,476 posts)I hope it didn't tear up too much with the wind!
Tree-Hugger
(3,370 posts)This one isn't a wall cloud. Shelf clouds are longer and appear toward the front edge of a storm. These are non-tornadic whereas a wall cloud has potential to produce tornadoes.
haikugal
(6,476 posts)I've always thought anything that came down out of a rounded, very dark cloud like that are wall clouds with the potential for a tornado...now I'll go google and see if I can see the difference.
Thanks!
Tree-Hugger
(3,370 posts)Just meteorology. Definitely give it a Google. Unfortunately, my phone refuses to copy and paste, but there are some great pages out there detailing the different parts of a storm cell.....including other fun clouds like scud and inflow bands (both mistaken for tornadoes). There are also some pretty good YouTube videos that explain the difference between the two. Google images for "shelf cloud" will give you identical pictures to this. Wall clouds are less sexy (no offense to wall clouds).
And I will shut up now because I realize I talk too much about weather.
haikugal
(6,476 posts)I didn't doubt you just didn't know and my thanks to you was sincere because I like to learn.
The photos I found shows the difference, just as you said.
Thanks again, I will do those things you suggest to learn more. We don't have a lot of thunder storms so I don't get as much practice as I'd like. I'm one of those people that enjoys a good storm.
You can never talk too much about weather as far as I'm concerned.
Thanks again!
Tree-Hugger
(3,370 posts)I am glad you found some good explanations.
I live in PA so we have plenty of storms. I was terrified of thunderstorms as a teenager, so I began studying them intently in order to understand them more and reduce my fears.
The internet is a valuable resource for weather geekery.
haikugal
(6,476 posts)We did in the past. They have become something to remark upon when we have one as energetic as I remember from decades ago. I'm sure now that I've said that we'll get slammed....and we have wild weather on occasion. Back in the 90's we had a snow tornado...maybe a snow hurricane, at least that's what it looked like afterward.
I did the same thing with Spiders..
MineralMan
(146,329 posts)coming toward me. Truly.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)I heard it coming, for about 25 minutes.
And it WAS intense when it hit.
Was intense on radar, too.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Still would not be surprised to see if a tornado is not reported in the area's news.
malaise
(269,157 posts)Scary - still we'd take any rain now
MineralMan
(146,329 posts)Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)hifiguy
(33,688 posts)petronius
(26,603 posts)Hope there wasn't any (too much) damage...
Tree-Hugger
(3,370 posts)That's a shelf cloud.
Tree-Hugger
(3,370 posts)This is a gorgeous photo - great shelf cloud. Thanks for sharing.