Noon Wednesday Update... Thanks to KATV promotion manager guru, Rob Thomas for this incredible video of the ominous clouds Wednesday morning.
While I fully expect more heat and humidity, I think it's very obvious the worst of the heat wave of 2011 is behind us now as our ridge of high pressure moves away and allows a northwesterly wind flow aloft to take over. This flow allows disturbances to move through the state with complexes of thunderstorms. One of which brought amazing cloud formations Wednesday morning. Many thought it was a wall cloud, but it's not. According to reports on twitter and facebook, the ominous clouds even prompted tornado sirens to sound in some places without a single tornado warning issued.
The cloud everyone saw is called a "shelf cloud" and here's the official definition from the National Weather Service...
"A low, horizontal wedge-shaped arcus cloud, associated with a thunderstorm gust front (or occasionally with a cold front, even in the absence of thunderstorms). Unlike the roll cloud, the shelf cloud is attached to the base of the parent cloud above it (usually a thunderstorm). Rising cloud motion often can be seen in the leading (outer) part of the shelf cloud, while the underside often appears turbulent, boiling, and wind-torn."
I kinda joked around that it looked like the aliens were coming to get us! LOL
Here are several amazing pics from awesome KATV viewers. You can always send them to photo@katv.com
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| Matthew Sheets in Austin, AR |
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| Conway from Kennedy Phyllis |
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| Conway from Kennedy Phyllis |
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| Conway from Kennedy Phyllis |
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| KATV viewer pic from Mark Voyles |
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| Picture from Gene Ketchum |
3 comments:
Those clouds looked like waves crashing down! Very cool!!!
Very cool pictures. I almost missed it. I was waking up as it approach Benton.
Very exotic clouds. I was heading to work around 730 this am I was in little rock off of shackelford road. The clouds were very spooky and beautiful at the same time. I thought the end may be near for just a moment or two.
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