Amazing Natural Phenomenon : Mamatus Cloud ☁

Background

 

What is cloud ?

       Cloud is a visible mass of droplets of water or frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or other planetary body. A cloud is also a visible mass attracted by gravity, such as masses of material in space called interstellar clouds and nebulae. Clouds in the Earth's atmosphere are studied in the nephology or cloud physics branch of meteorology.


Classification of Cloud

•  • High-level clouds (base above ca. 20,000 feet

•         - Cirrus
•         - Cirrocumulus
•         - Cirrostratus

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  •          • Medium-level clouds (base ca. 6,500 to ca. 20,000 feet)
  •           - Altocumulus
  •           - Altostratus
  
  
  
  •         • Low-level clouds (base near surface to ca. 6,500 feet)
  •         - Stratocumulus
  •         - Stratus
  
  
  
  •         • Low to Medium-level clouds (base near surface to ca. 10,000 feet)
  •        - Nimbostratus
  •        - Cumulus
  
  
  
  •         • Vertically developed clouds (base near surface to ca. 10,000 feet; tops ca. 40,000 feet or higher)
  •         - Cumulonimbus
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  What is Mamatus Cloud?
            Mammatus, also known as mammatocumulus (meaning "mammary cloud" or "breast cloud") is a meteorological term applied to a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud. The name mammatus, derived from the Latin mamma (meaning "udder" or "breast"), refers to a resemblance between the characteristic shape of these clouds and the breast of a woman.
            Mammatus is most often associated with the anvil cloud that extends from a cumulonimbus, but may also be found under altocumulus, altostratus, stratocumulus, and cirrus clouds, as well as volcanic ash clouds.
  
  
  
  
  
  Why Mammatus Cloud is interesting ?
            Mammatus Cloud is an amazing natural phenomena that happens on the sky. There are so many round buttons cloud, each button has around 1 to 3 miles width and approximately 0.5 kilometers long. It can be several hundred miles line of Mammatus cloud. This phenomenon occurs 15 minutes - 1 hour before big storm or the tornado. 
  
  
  
  Mammatus clouds in San Antonio,  2009
  
  
  
  Mammatus clouds over Squaw Valley Ski Resort, Olympic Valley, California
  
  
  
  Mammatus clouds in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1973
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  References

  - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia., "Mammatus cloud".

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

  -Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia., "List of cloud types".

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