Mammatus Clouds Over Tobyhanna

A huge formation of mammatus clouds observed over Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, during the afternoon of March 17, 2016.   Image credit Tom Wildoner

Mammatus are sometimes seen when unsettled weather occurs. Thunderstorms are almost always in the vicinity, sometimes in the process of decaying, but the weather need not be severe for these clouds to be reported. For mammatus to form it’s thought that downdrafts must play a role — cooler air from aloft pushes through the cloud base resulting in the pouch-like appendages.

Summary Authors: Tom Wildoner; Jim Foster

source EPOD