Overall, spring can be fairly active when it comes to thunderstorm activity. Sometimes associated with these severe thunderstorms are what we call “anvil” clouds. Anvil clouds are named so because of the shape they take when they form. Rising air inside of a thunderstorm creates the towering cumulus look but the cumulus cloud can only rise so high and then it starts to run into the stratosphere. In the stratosphere the temperature actually starts to slowly increase with height and the air is very thin so the formation of clouds is next to impossible. As the towering cumulus runs into the stratosphere it has to spread out and this creates the anvil look. If a cumulonimbus cloud has enough energy to produce one of these anvil clouds, the likelihood of severe weather being associated with it is very high. An odd fact related to the anvil cloud is that even though they only form in the warmer months, its cold enough higher in the cloud to sustain heavy snowstorms! But by the time the moisture reaches the ground, it’s in the form of rain. Then, as the thunderstorm starts to die off, the anvil will start to fall apart as well leaving you with your average cumulonimbus cloud.
Weather Last Week
May 5: 46/76/Trace
May 6: 45/69/0.32”
May 7: 43/70/0.06”
May 8: 36/74/0”
May 9: 37/81/0”
May 10: 37/84/0”
May 11: 57/89/0”
Forecast discussion for the week ahead:
We are going to have several chances at showers and thunderstorms as we head through the end of the week and into the weekend. Cold front after cold front is going to be the main cause of these storms and as each one passes by, we will cool off. After the weekend, things will have cooled off substantially. In fact, it will be around 40 degrees cooler compared to earlier this week!