What are these?

Around 5pm this evening (June 11th) I was going to pick up my daughter at her friend’s house not a mile away…along the way I couldn’t help myself….I had to stop and take a picture of these…

They are called Mammatus clouds.

Mammatus Clouds

These clouds were formed about 100 miles to the north of a cluster of supercell thunderstorms that developed over Brown and Eastland counties. The minute I got home, I checked the radar and sure enough there were tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for the storms south of this incredible display of Mother Nature.

When you see these clouds…just know that the atmosphere is EXTREMELY unstable. These clouds look like little pillows all placed randomly about in the sky. Mammatus can occur just a few miles away from severe weather, or more than 100 miles away, just like these today.

Of all the severe weather related clouds, these are my favorite. They are so benign, yet indicate danger is not far away. After a crazy day and night and severe thunderstorms Wed night and Thurs morning, I was a bit worried by these, but once I got a look at the radar, I knew they were just a tease. Warning us in the metro that nasty storms weren’t far away, but close enough to stay on guard.

Now you know..so next time you see them..be prepared for a “bumpy ride”!

Kristine