{"id":57881,"date":"2024-04-30T08:51:32","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T08:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/193d6516-2b16-40db-acf4-d8460bf43523"},"modified":"2024-04-30T09:08:26","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T09:08:26","slug":"what-mammatus-clouds-are-and-why-the-lumpy-formations-mean-time-to-pack-up-your-telescope","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/what-mammatus-clouds-are-and-why-the-lumpy-formations-mean-time-to-pack-up-your-telescope\/","title":{"rendered":"What mammatus clouds are, and why the lumpy formations mean time to pack up your telescope"},"content":{"rendered":"

A guide to the large lumpy cloud formations known as mammatus. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 30 April 2024 at 08:51 AM<\/p>

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Have you ever seen mammatus clouds, the lumpy sort of cloud formations that look like huge puffs of candyfloss hanging in the sky?<\/p>

There are many types of clouds: nimbostratus, cumulonimbus, cumulus and cirrus are probably the best known.<\/p>

But there are also stratus, stratocumulus, altostratus, altocumulus, cirrocumulus and cirrostratus clouds.<\/p>

Noctilucent clouds captured on 6 July 2016. Credit: Mary McIntyre<\/figcaption><\/figure>
And, of course, there’s the phenomenon known as noctilucent clouds<\/a>, or night-shining clouds, which can be seen during summer months.<\/p>
Mammatus clouds are a little different, because \u2018mammatus\u2019 (also known as \u2018mamma\u2019 or \u2018mammatocumulus\u2019) isn\u2019t a type of cloud at all.<\/p>
Rather, it\u2019s a very specific feature that can be found on clouds of several types, although it\u2019s most closely associated with cumulonimbus rain clouds.<\/p>
What mammatus means and why they’re lumpy<\/strong><\/h2>
$\"Mammatus$
Mammatus Clouds in the evening sky, Georgia. Credit: VladT \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
The word \u2018mamma\u2019 means \u2018udder\u2019 or \u2018breast\u2019 in Latin, which is a clue to the phenomenon we\u2019re discussing here.<\/p>
\u2018Mammatus\u2019 clouds have distinctive \u2018lumpy\u2019 undersides that look a little bit like the udders of a cow. Sometimes.<\/p>
We\u2019d say \u201clike looking up at a bucket of popcorn, or a load of cotton wool balls\u201d would be a better description, but to be fair, we\u2019re not sure what the Latin for that would be.<\/p>
$\"Mammatus$
Mammatus Sunset Over Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. Credit: Natalie Hood \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
These \u2018lumps\u2019 are composed largely of ice, and the mechanism responsible for their formation isn\u2019t entirely understood.<\/p>
Some have suggested mammatus clouds form when pockets of colder, heavier air descend through the cloud while, warmer, lighter air is causing the cloud as a whole to rise, but other proposed mechanisms have ranged from thermodynamics to the effects radiation.<\/p>
However they form, they can be smooth or ragged in their appearance, and range in colour from a brilliant white to near-transparent. But they\u2019re almost never a good sign.<\/p>
$\"Mammatus$
Mammatus clouds under storm Anvil, Greensburg, Kansas, USA. Credit: John Finney Photography \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Stormy weather ahead<\/strong><\/h2>
If you spot mammatus on the undersides of nearby clouds, it\u2019s often a pretty reliable indicator that a storm or other extreme weather event is on its way.<\/p>
And if you\u2019re doing some outdoor observing, now might be a good time to start packing your gear away.<\/p>
Similarly, pilots will generally avoid flying through mammatus clouds if they can help it, as they\u2019re extremely likely to cause turbulence.<\/p>
Photos of mammatus clouds<\/strong><\/h2>
$\"Mammatus$
Mammatus storm clouds, High Peak, Derbyshire. UK. Credit: John Finney Photography \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Mammatus$
Mammatus clouds under storm Anvil, Greensburg, Kansas, USA. Credit: John Finney Photography \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Mammatus$
Mammatus storm clouds over grain elevators, Minnesota, United States. Credit: Marcia Straub \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Mammatus$
Mammatus Sunset Over Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. Credit: Natalie Hood \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Mammatus$
Mammatus clouds over the Lancashire coast, UK. Credit: Keith Heaton \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Mammatus$
Mammatus cloud at sunset over clock tower in Trang, Thailand. Credit: Kanok Sulaiman \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Mammatus$
Mammatus Clouds in the evening sky, Georgia. Credit: VladT \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
$\"Colorful$
Colorful display of mammatus clouds at sunset in the Netherlands. Credit: Meindert van der Haven \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>