Cloudy Days are Lilly Days

Friday, September 23, 2011, was a wonderful day for cloud chasers like myself.  I was standing on the second story landing at the school, waiting for our workshop group to arrive.  Snapping pictures, as always, on such a blustery day, I started seeing a peculiar cloud formation.  I have seen these in books, but I can't remember ever seeing them in person.  They are mammatus clouds and speak of severe weather in the area.

These pouch-like clouds (think mammary!) form on the underside of the anvil blow-off from a severe cumulonimbus (think thunderhead!)  They should tell the viewer to seek shelter because they form only in a moist unstable level in the atmosphere.  They demonstrate instability flowing in a downward direction.  And if they do not weaken, they could portend very severe weather.  As it was, there were clouds fomenting all around the mammatus and a lightning show on the horizon.  It was fun to watch it form.

What was kind of scary was the sound track to this show--that is, other than the rumbling thunder in the distance.  I could hear music being played outside and the laughter of kids, who apparently were having some kind of supervised outing nearby.  I was getting ready to go and tell them they ought to be looking at the sky and taking shelter.  Lightning may seem far away, but in a breath it can be near.  These Californians!

And here are some more shots from that day:

The rain looks like it is coming from the ground up!  So weird.

WHO NEEDS BORING BLUE SKIES!  :-)