Mammatus clouds used to mean nothing to me, now I grab my camera

I used to see those lumpy pouch clouds and just think it looked like a weird sky, didn't even know the name. Then a storm chaser on TV last August said they form under the anvil and often mean severe weather is winding down, not starting. Now every time I spot them over the flats near Wichita, I pull over and snap a few shots before the light changes. They're gone in maybe 10 or 15 minutes sometimes, so timing beats luck now. Anyone else started paying attention to a specific cloud type after learning what it actually signals?

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avery_roberts6716d ago

Exactly the same thing happened to me but with shelf clouds. I used to think they were just pretty, then somebody told me the sharp edge means a gust front is pushing in, and now I can't help but watch the leading line instead of the rain. Last spring I sat on a tailgate outside Salina for a solid twenty minutes watching one roll over the highway, and the air went from warm to cool right before the wind hit. I've got a whole folder on my phone of those shots, and my wife makes fun of me for it every time. But knowing what they mean makes the picture better somehow, like you're capturing a warning instead of just a sky. Look up for the details, and pretty soon you can't turn it off.