A Perfect Cumulonimbus

We find it entertaining to sit on the porch and watch a big-old thunderstorm develop or roll-in.  Depending on the wind direction all you have to do is shift your chair to the lee side of the porch to watch the events unfold without getting wet.

A couple of weeks ago we watched this storm cell advance westward to the north.  It was so large that the weather radar was tracking it across the bay in the UP and northeast Wisconsin.  A super cell.

click on image to enlarge

This is a very mature thunderstorm with its easily identifiable anvil shape.  The cloud is formed by warm air rising until it cannot rise any further creating the giant cumulonimbus formation.  Water in this cloud is actually frozen from the extreme low temperatures of high altitude - as it falls it melts to become rain.  If the updraft is powerful enough the frozen moisture will fall as hail.

The sun stayed out for us.  And all the action for this storm was north of the bay. 

This was very cool as you do not get to witness cumulonimbus in such a perfect form very often.