8
Wild Weather
Thunderstorms - II
Overshooting Tops & Anvil
The trademark of a strong cumulonimbus cloud is the overshooting top, a "cauliflower-like" cloud
structure extending above the anvil of the storm like a dome. Overshooting tops locate
the strongest updraft in a thunderstorm and the place where severe
weather is most likely to develop at the surface.
A National Weather Service meteorologist with warning responsibility for a particular
area could issue a severe thunderstorm warning based on a visible satellite image alone
if an overshooting top was present. By combining this image with satellite sounder
data, a tornado warning might be deemed more appropriate.
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