Wondering exactly what type of clouds formed in continental last Monday night (June 23), I reached out to Jay Berschback, the Chief Meteorologist for 13abc in Toledo, Ohio and asked him to comment on our air show:
According to http://weathersavvy.com:
A wall cloud is a beacon of hope for storm chasers searching for a twister, but why? Let me explain why you hear so much about “Wall Clouds” during severe weather.
A wall cloud occurs only with strong thunderstorms and appears as a lowering cloud that extends out of the main large thunderstorm. Wall clouds often have a very noticeable rotation. And it’s for that reason that a wall cloud can be (not always) a precursor to a tornado. So a rotating wall cloud means air is twisting as it rushes up into the storm. A tornado can form without a wall cloud. Also, not all wall clouds produce a tornado. A wall cloud can form and rotate for 30 minutes before the storm dissipates, never developing a tornado. On the other hand, a wall cloud could produce a tornado at any moment and for that reason it is an exciting cloud formation and possible omen for storm chasers.
I hope this helps answer any questions anyone may have about Monday Night’s Air Show! To view the pictures and read the original article about the clouds Monday’s storm produced, you can read the original article here.
