photo sparks push for new cloud type

[visibility3miles]

By MICHAEL J. CRUMB, Associated Press Writer Michael J. Crumb, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jun 11, 4:40 pm ET

DES MOINES, Iowa – Looking out the 11th floor window of her law office, Jane Wiggins did a double take and grabbed her camera. The dark, undulating clouds hovering outside were unlike anything she'd seen before.

"It looked like Armageddon," said Wiggins, a paralegal and amateur photographer in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "The shadows of the clouds, the lights and the darks, and the greenish-yellow backdrop. They seemed to change." etc.

Iowa woman's photo sparks push for new cloud type - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090611/ap_on_re_us/us_new_cloud)

New cloud??

[411A]

Looks the the bases of strato-cumulus, to me.
Often noticed in Arizona just before the haboob arrives, oftentimes followed in forty or so minutes by very heavy rain.
Nothing especially new.

[GlueBall]

Have seen these low pillowy clouds often in proximity of developing thunderstorms, especially in the tropics and intertropical convergence zones. Not a new cloud phenomena. :ouch:

[joehunt]

I think it should be called Armageddon if they are going to rename it.

411A

Haha! You obviously have been to Khartoum. Good Haboobs there.

[g21agoose]

"Gavin Pretor-Pinney and his England-based Cloud Appreciation Society...."

Gee, I'd love to end up talking to him at a cocktail party..........:{

[BOAC]

I guess even Gavins need to get excited about something every now and then.:)

[safetypee]

Hey … I’m a fully paid-up member of the Cloud Appreciation Society; … well my son bought me the certificate etc for my birthday.
The reality is, that as professional aviators we should have great interest in the atmosphere - it’s where the ‘office’ is located.
Clouds such as those shown indicate that the atmosphere is ‘troubled’ and we should take care in and around them.
We have Humblies, Bumblies, and Grumblies (size of Cbs); this new cloud might be ... a ‘Dimply’.

[BOAC]

Hello Gavin......................:)

[ground_star]

Nothing new - we get them all the time here in BFS!

Then, we are the land where the saying goes "If you can't see the mountains, its raining. If you can, then it's about to!"