The Storm Cometh
by Karen Slagle
Title
The Storm Cometh
Artist
Karen Slagle
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Mammatus clouds form downward from the base of the thunderstorm anvil, in which air spreads out horizontally away from the updraft. In this photo, the updraft is within the vertical column of clouds at the right side of the image. The air in the anvil is flowing toward you and toward the left, away from the updraft.
Mammatus clouds form when the updraft is very moist, and spreads out large quantities of ice crystals into the anvil. As these ice crystals fall out of the base of the anvil, they begin to "evaporate." Technically the term for this process is "sublimate", as they go from ice to vapor. This cools the air and creates small downdrafts. These downdrafts create the downward bulges that characterize the mammatus clouds. Before long the ice crystals all sublimate. At that point the air stops sinking and begins to rise back up in the clefts between those downward bulges.
Despite a myth some people have heard, these mammatus clouds do not continue downward to become tornadoes. They also don't guarantee a tornado will form from the thunderstorm. But they do signify an intense thunderstorm that is usually capable of some form of severe weather or flash flooding
This image was taken on May 25, 2013 in the Texas panhandle with a Nikon D700 and a Nikkor 28-200 lens.
Uploaded
June 19th, 2013
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Viewed 844 Times - Last Visitor from Cambridge, MA on 03/18/2024 at 3:39 PM
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Comments (43)
Bunny Clarke
I really love the colors and the composition of this gorgeous capture Karen. Outstanding work.
Kellice Swaggerty
Absolutely splendid, Karen! This is one type of cloud not quite as prevalent here in the Northeast (thankfully). Also I enjoyed your detail description of the science behind this impressive capture! And the birds silhouetted against the backdrop elevate this work to outstanding!! L/F
Hany Jadaa Prince John Photography
An awesome picture and a great capture. Really wonderful in every aspect of the word.
Lianne Schneider
Wow Karen this is just astonishingly fabulous!! Love the drama of that sky!. Thanks so much for your visits and comments on my work too - that just means the world to me. F/V
Melany Sarafis
We sure don't see clouds like this often around here. I love the golden color. +1vote