Stunning Cloud Pictures

[viper_larry]

Not mine, but off a website which has just won an award from Yahoo!

Check out this amazing cloud formation!



www.cloudappreciationsociety.org/

[FourWheelDrift]

It's the end of the world !


Stunning.

[pdV6]

God's testicles!

[406tm]

pdV6 said:

God's testicles!

You called

[740i]

Well worth seeing both of these again...brilliant pics

[Mr Noble]

Dave, you need to get that one on to their site in the "clouds like faces" bit!

[Scooby_snax]

Looks like someone has been busy in photoshop...well the first one

[NoisyGriff]

viper_larry said:

Not mine, but off a website which has just won an award from Yahoo! Check out this amazing cloud formation! www.cloudappreciationsociety.org/

Mamatus clouds, I do believe.

:lookingforcloudspotterscoat:

[klassiekerrally]

What causes this? It's almost surreal!
I'd be a little afraid if I'd see such clouds...

[Graham.J]

klassiekerrally said:

What causes this? It's almost surreal! I'd be a little afraid if I'd see such clouds...

"Mammatus (also known as mamma or mammatocumulus) is a meteorological term applied to a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud, often a cumulus or cumulonimbus. These pouches, typically measuring about half a kilometer in diameter, are often ragged, but may appear smooth. Their color is normally a bluish gray, the same as that of the host cloud, but direct illumination from the setting sun and other clouds may cause a gold or reddish cast. Mammatus can persist anywhere from minutes to hours, diffusing and disappearing over time.

The mechanism of their production is poorly understood and has been little studied. The presence of very dry air beneath the cloud base is known to be a factor.

Mammatus has often been linked with the occurrence of tornadoes, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s. Though tornadic storms often produce mammatus under their downwind anvil, many weak storms and even stratiform clouds also produce mammatus. Contrary to common misconceptions, mammatus are not precursors to tornadoes, but are a possible byproduct

Sometimes thunderstorms manifest cumulonimbus with mammatus. The cumulonimbus is a dark, tall, dense vertical cloud; the presence of cumulonimbus with mammatus indicates severe atmospheric turbulence. It is very common for storms producing mammatus clouds also to produce wind shear, and possibly—though less likely—ball lightning; therefore, aviators are strongly cautioned to avoid cumulonimbus with mammatus."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammatus


Said to form in sinking, rather than rising air.

[GravelBen]

speaking of surreal clouds......




ok, so I cheated a little bit with that one, but only a bit

[monkey boy 1]

I liked the 2nd one, pretty wierd stuff

[klassiekerrally]

Graham.J said:

Mammatus explanation

Thanks!
My wife still doesn't believe the mamatus clouds are real...

[Graham.J]

klassiekerrally said:

Thanks! My wife still doesn't believe the mamatus clouds are real...

No problem

If I hadn't seen pictures of them before I'd have thought it was something computer generated.

[monkey boy 1]

Here's another one, Apparently it's called "the morning glory"


usually hunted by "cloud surfers" in Australia, Gliders to normal people.

[dinkel]

The Netherlands are famous for their clouds . . . Ruysdael and all. But really, I've seen stuff in the desert and up in the mountains that's amazing . . .

Wonderfull.