WEATHER SNAP SHOTS: June 2006 Archives

The wind-tossed, wavy cloud pattern ahead of Thursday morning's (June 22, 2006) showers and thunderstorms proves a real eyecatcher. Based on some in-house research employing the World Meteorological Organization's "International Cloud Atlas-Volume II", the clouds which most closely resemble those which appear in these shots, are referred to as: Altostratus opacus and Altocumulus stratiform opacus mamma

These images were photographed and provided to us by Thursday by former Air Force weather observer Barry Stark. Turbulent winds surrounding approaching showers and embedded thunderstorms appears to be contributing to the wind-tossed, "angry" appearance of these clouds.
-Tom Skilling, WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist
Photo courtesy of Barry Stark

Midwestern Video Productions provides us another perspective on the eycatching cloud formation observed with Thursday morning's storms in the Chicago area. What's so fascinating and unusual in these shots is the fact this isn't the typical "shelf" or "roll" cloud ahead of an incoming thunderstorm. Such clouds, like the darkest clouds pictured here, are low based clouds which often blend into a non-descript backround low-altitude cloud mass or wall of rain. By contract, these formations Thursday morning occurred beneath "mid-level" formations provide the backdrop for the Wednesday morning's approaching showers and thunderstorms, which turned severe to Chicago's south. Hail up to 0.88" in diameter in Chicago's southern suburbs and wind gusts approaching 60 m.p.h. whipped downstate in the Bloomington area of central Illinois, accopanied the fast moving storms.


Photo courtesy of Midwestern Video Productions

Nearly a dozen twisters dipped from powerful supercell thunderstorms over Wisconsin late Tuesday. Jim Hancock of Sycamore, Illinois, was southbound on I-90/94 south of Wisconsin Dells when he encountered the storms and noticed the tornado taking shape. He shares these fascinating images of the storm with us, including the development of one of those twisters—a large tornado—which Jim photographed around 6:30 p.m. as he drove across the Wisconsin River bridge then pulled into a wayside to take these shots. Thanks for the amazing images Jim—and we're GLAD you're safe!
-- Tom Skilling