HOUSTON – When I walked into the office on Monday and pulled up our Click2Pins, I saw dozens of amazing shelf cloud photos waiting for me. Meteorologists sometimes call these “SLCs,” short for Scary Looking Clouds. It’s not exactly a technical term, but if you’ve seen one, you get it!
They look intense, but don’t let the drama fool you. Shelf clouds are usually more bark than bite. They can bring heavy rain, lightning, gusty winds, and maybe even some small hail, but they’re not the type of storms that typically cause serious damage or spawn tornadoes.
Still, they are certainly awe-inspiring to see.
What’s a Shelf Cloud?
If you’ve ever seen a big, dramatic cloud clawing toward you that looks like it’s about to dig into the ground, chances are it was a shelf cloud.
Shelf clouds form along the leading edge of a storm’s gust front; that’s where cool air from the storm pushes out ahead and lifts the warm, moist air near the ground. That lift creates this low, wedge-shaped cloud that stretches out horizontally across the sky.
Shelf Cloud facts:
- Shelf clouds are attached to the storm’s base (unlike roll clouds, which float freely on their own).
- They often look like giant horizontal wedges, smooth in front and messy underneath. That turbulent underside is air mixing and rising.
- You’ll often see them with strong thunderstorms, or squall lines, and sometimes along cold fronts.
- They look dramatic (and let’s be honest, a little scary), but shelf clouds don’t mean tornadoes are coming. That’s a wall cloud you’re thinking of; different cloud, different setup.
I put together a quick video explaining the ingredients that come together to make a shelf cloud. Click below to watch!
The outflow from the gust front helps create more storms that can last for miles. The first image I saw from our Click2pins was in Cypress. The last image was from Dayton in Liberty County. That’s a span of 60 miles!
Gandalfnet described the image as driving into the Mother Ship. If you ever get an incredible picture or video, please share it with us by uploading them to: click2pins.com
David Wayne took this at Hooks Airport.
