12/10/2023 0 Comments Wall cloud vs shelf cloud![]() ![]() In each of these photos I will identify the feature, where it was, the direction I was facing, and what was going on at the time the picture was taken. I am going to post some photos below about what a wall cloud is and what a shelf cloud is. However unless you are tucked your way into the notch you would never see it from a distance away because you will be blocked by wrapping rain curtains. Is this feature rising? Slowly rotating? Intense rotation? Or bowing out? Is it possible to have tornadoes that don't have wall clouds associated with them? Absolutely! It is also possible for HP supercells to produce a wall cloud buried within the notch of the storm near the NE quadrant of the supercell. First is it in the right region of the storm? Are you seeing a low hanging cloud on the forward flank of the storm or the rain free base? Another question to ask is is this feature pointing toward or away from the rain? Shelf clouds generally point out away from the precipitation while wall clouds generally point toward the rain. Here you described the rain as off to the left and indeed that does look like a tail cloud on the left. If it points towards the rain its typically a wall cloud, if it points away its typically a shelf cloud. Some simple things to think about when you think you see a wall cloud. An easy way to tell a shelf cloud from a wall cloud is the way it points. The key is to look for rotation and call in those reports. Wall clouds that exhibit significant rotation and vertical motions often precede tornado formation by a few minutes to an hour." However it is also to be noted that not all wall clouds are tornadic or even rotate! Any thunderstorm can in theory have a wall cloud associated with it. It typically develops near the precipitation region of the cumulonimbus. A wall cloud marks the lower portion of a very strong updraft, usually associated with a supercell or severe multicell storm. A wall cloud is defined by the AMS as "a local, often abrupt lowering from a cumulonimbus cloud base into a low-hanging accessory cloud, normally a kilometer or more in diameter. We are getting down to storm season so for those who like to follow me or the newer chasers out there I am going to attempt to put a little comparison together here to educate a wall cloud vs not a wall cloud.
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