No doubt you have seen these clouds and they caught your eye with their beauty. And if they had an amazing lightning show inside, they really caught your attention! They are simply an impressive force of nature!
"Clouds can never hide the sun forever; so don't complain about clouds but never forget to welcome the sun." - Debasish Mridha
Thunderstorm clouds fascinate me! They are beautiful, mighty, and awe-inspiring! When I took the above photo north of Denver, I was enthralled with how the setting sun lit up the top of the cloud, giving it an ethereal and golden hue.
The scientific name of this very impressive type of cloud is "cumulonimbus cloud." The word "cumulonimbus" comes from two Latin words, cumulus which means "heap" and nimbus which means "storm cloud". A very appropriate name. These type of clouds are known as the King of Clouds and more commonly as thunderclouds. They can be destructive and damaging, essentially a cloud in a very bad mood.
Cumulonimbus clouds are formed from water vapor carried by powerful upward air currents, up to a speed of 100 mph inside the cloud. The clouds result from convection, which is a process by which heat is transferred by movement of a heated fluid such as air or water. Often they grow from small cumulus clouds over a hot surface (land). The lower part of these clouds is made up of tiny water droplets. The upper part is made up of ice crystals, due to the air getting cooler the higher you go.
Thunderclouds that have the anvil shape at the top, like the one in the above photo, are specifically "cumulonimbus incus" clouds. Latin comes into play again, as incus is the Latin word for "anvil". The anvil shape is a result of the cloud getting bigger and bigger and it then reaching the top of the troposphere. (Troposphere is where all earth's weather occurs, above it is the stratosphere. The top of the troposphere changes altitude depending on the time of year and latitude.) When the forming cloud hits the top of the troposphere, it cannot go any higher. If it wants to continue growing, it has to grow outward and flatten out at the top, creating the anvil shape. Next time you see the anvil at the top of a huge thundercloud, you know the cloud has reached its limit vertically.
Cumulonimbus clouds are usually very fierce and extreme. They produce heavy downpours, hail, lightning, and sometimes tornadoes. Furthermore, they are the only type of cloud that can produce hail, thunder, and lightning. Ice crystals and hail fall through the cloud from very high altitudes. They produce down currents of air that exit at the base of the cloud as powerful winds.
These mighty thunderclouds can store the same amount of energy as ten Hiroshima-sized atom bombs, which is mind-boggling. Typically, they are able to grow to 40,000 feet. In extreme cases, they can climb as high as 70,000 feet.
On a positive note, storms from these cumulonimbus clouds often clean and cool the air behind them. Think of how nice the air feels after a good thunderstorm. Thank the cumulonimbus clouds for that!
It is obvious that cumulonimbus clouds are amazing in their power and beauty. I enjoy seeing and photographing them, but only from far away. Very far away. Like a lion, they are beautiful but best enjoyed from a safe distance!
My sources for all this fascinating information:
Met Office website, www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/clouds/low-level-clouds/cumulonimbus, Cumulonimbus Clouds, contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0
Kiddle Encyclopedia, www.kids.kiddle.co/Cumulonimbus_cloud, Cumulonimbus Cloud Facts for Kids, 04-09-2016
Types of Clouds website, www.typesofclouds.net/cumulonimbus-cloud, Cumulonimbus Clouds
www.weatherstreet.com - www.weatherquestions.com, What is the troposphere?, 11-28-2010
Encyclopaedia Britannica website, www.britannica.com/science/convection, Convection, The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 03-25-2019
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