Tuesday, July 26, 2016

The Best Shelf Cloud Photos We've Seen So Far in 2016

Jon Erdman
Published: July 26,2016

Shelf clouds are, arguably, the most frequently-shared weather phenomena on The Weather Channel Facebook page, as well as the weather.com photo gallery.
Check our most recent uploaded weather photos anytime from late spring through early fall, and you're likely to see multiple photos of this menacing cloud seen at the leading edge of a thunderstorm or line of storms.
(MORE: The Science of Shelf Clouds)
Among the many photos, here are my favorite "shelfies" so far in 2016.

A Shelf Cloud 'Bulge'

A bizarre shelf cloud "bulge" is seen over Orange Beach, Alabama, on the evening of June 17,2016.
(Lance Bradford/Facebook)

The Shelfie's Leading Edge

In the GIF below, cold air is pushing from left to right, lifting warm air ahead of the gust front. The photo shared with us was taken on July 7, 2016.
Classic shelf cloud + radar combo in Waterloo, IA earlier this AM. Photo via @_R_U_P_P_.

Shelfie + 'Green Sky'

A green sky lags a shelf cloud associated with an approaching line of thunderstorms in Chesterfield, Missouri, on April 26,2016.
(Nathan Pflantz/Facebook)
(MORE: Why the Sky May Turn Green in a Thunderstorm)

Shelfie + Radar


Classic 'Shelfie at the Beach'

Incidentally, when you see dark skies like this at the beach, you should seek substantial shelter as soon as possible. You are at risk of being struck by lightning.


... or Several Stories Above the Beach

Excellent shelf cloud #1 Tuesday: Myrtle Beach, SC. (Credit: @weatherchannel FB friend Amber Burrows)
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Roll Cloud Timelapse

The video below was shot on June 11 from Empire, Michigan. A roll cloud is simply a shelf cloud that has surged far away from its parent thunderstorm or line of storms.

Roll Cloud North of the Arctic Circle

The roll cloud is shown in the photo at right, below.
Mammatus, roll clouds at 1AM Sat. on N. Slope of Alaska (Nuiqsut). (Credit: @weatherchannel FB friend Paul Pausanna)

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been an incurable weather geek since a tornado narrowly missed his childhood home in Wisconsin at age 7.

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