(Image source: The CIMSS/SSEC MODIS Today Page)Lake effect clouds and snows are a common wintertime occurrence downwind of the warm waters of the Great Lakes, and such weather events have been discussed frequently on this blog (See here, here, and here, for example) and elsewhere. When cold air moves over a warm water surface,... Read More

Rope clouds are elongated lines of cumuliform clouds that develop at the leading edge of an advancing cold front. They are most commonly seen over the ocean, where friction and topography effects that might disrupt the development of a line are minimal. For the example seen today, a RUC temperature analysis over the Gulf... Read More

An occluded storm that affected the upper midwest early in the morning of 16 October displayed cloud characteristics that can be interpreted as the development of a TROWAL (A TROugh of Warm air ALoft). The highest, coldest clouds tops that at the start of the loop are in north-central Illinois... Read More

A weak tornado occurred Thursday 27 September in Racine County of southeast Wisconsin. (North Cape Wisconsin, the site of the brief EF-0 touchdown, is in north-central Racine County). The tornado occurred about 15 minutes before the radar image below; the cell that produced the tornado is moving offshore into Lake Michigan at the time of the... Read More