Mammatus?

Archive of General Weather
Forum rules
These topics are a read-only archive and may be subject to out-of-date information.

For today's weather discussion head to: New Zealand Weather & Climate
Locked
Fujita Phil
Posts: 759
Joined: Wed 03/12/2003 15:44
Location: Dunedin, NZ
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 11 times
Contact:

Mammatus?

Unread post by Fujita Phil »

So I'm just waiting for the onset of possible severe gales :) arriving late this afternoon and the clouds over Dunedin at 3pm, I would describe as Mammatus.

I was under the impression (my own thoughts) that these clouds usually preceded a front and the clouds were actually "distorted" by very strong winds at that level. Usually the weather arriving after these clouds will be very warm strong westerly winds with a southern change later. (Well what Dunedin person doesn't know that if we have a warm windy day, it will probably rain the next ;) )

Most definitions of Mammatus state that these clouds often form under the anvil of weakening thunderstorms, though I couldn't agree that there were thunderstorm clouds overhead in Dunedin today.

Is this true? Or is it just the cooler air above sinking into the warmer air below without any high winds?
There is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes.
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Unread post by NZstorm »

Hi Phil,

Rather than sinking air, I would say sinking ice crystals.

The mamma you are observing in Dunedin is likely to be Altocumulus mammatus. It has no association with Cumulonimbus as you suggest.
It forms on frontal Altocumulus in a NW flow.

Cumulonimbus mammatus occurs on the weakening part of a Cumulonimbus or Thunderstorm.

;)
NZ Thunderstorm Soc
Posts: 18488
Joined: Wed 12/03/2003 22:08
Location: Raukapuka Geraldine
Has thanked: 1769 times
Been thanked: 1412 times

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

Great NW Arch day in Canterbury today. On the way to work this morning around 7:45am. I did notice some mammatus form in the Arch cloud.
Warm day here too. The thermometer not quite touching 30C.
26.5 down the road at a friends place, but I don't know what the official temp was yet but Micheal would of enjoyed the day :)

JohnGaul
NZTS
Fujita Phil
Posts: 759
Joined: Wed 03/12/2003 15:44
Location: Dunedin, NZ
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 11 times
Contact:

Unread post by Fujita Phil »

NZStorm wrote:Rather than sinking air, I would say sinking ice crystals.
Thanks Steven, just what I wanted out of this board...lots of knowledge.
NZ Thunderstorm Soc wrote:Warm day here too. The thermometer not quite touching 30C.
21.8C here at the moment, 32% humidity and the winds are starting to pick-up.
There is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes.
tich
Posts: 3467
Joined: Sat 15/03/2003 18:32
Location: Christchurch (St Albans)/Akaroa
Has thanked: 21 times
Been thanked: 91 times

Unread post by tich »

21.8C here at the moment, 32% humidity and the winds are starting to pick-up.
The northwesterly has freshened at times today in Chch, but it's a bit lighter now. A northwest arch developed this afternoon - I could see rain falling from the back of it, probably over the foothills. (whether it reached the ground is another matter) About 20C in the central city.
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Unread post by NZstorm »

I suggest mammatus is a form of precipitation (virga).

That front over the SI looks quite active this evening . The K index at Invercargill is 26 which suggests alpine thunder with the front.
Dean.
Posts: 1710
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 20:29
Location: Ashburton
Has thanked: 425 times
Been thanked: 525 times

Unread post by Dean. »

Northwest arch over Mid Canterbury as the sun was setting this evening,looking like its getting ready to blow overnight.
Cooler than Christchurch here today with high overcast conditions all day,temperature 23 degrees.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
NZ Thunderstorm Soc
Posts: 18488
Joined: Wed 12/03/2003 22:08
Location: Raukapuka Geraldine
Has thanked: 1769 times
Been thanked: 1412 times

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

NZstorm wrote:
That front over the SI looks quite active this evening . The K index at Invercargill is 26 which suggests alpine thunder with the front.
I thought the front was quite useless, rather than active. It may of produced the rain with possible thunderstorm down south but it was fairly useless here.
I recorded a mild night here (17C minimum)to 8am with no evidence of any southerly coming through which was forecasted. Mild morning with the frontal high cloud moving away and becoming fine and clear from 1pm when I finished work. I noticed there was a NE, when it should of been southerly. Because of this, it clouded up in the afternoon with very weak convective cloud formation to my disappointment.
No 'Immmmph" to produce anything exciting. Never mind better luck next time. More boring weather for Christchurch coming up next week :(


JohnGaul
NZTS
Manukau heads obs
Posts: 12305
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 16:30
Location: West Coast Road, Manukau Peninsula, North Island
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Unread post by Manukau heads obs »

becuase "the legs have been chopped off" the cb's as they cross the mountain ranges, you still see the top part of the original CB in the eastern areas, and so yes you will still see the mamatus of a CB too...

thats what I saw in the 3 months i spend just inland from mosgiel...
just my thoughts :)

low cloud and drizzle here from the remanins off the font

the low in the north tasman: it will be good to get the rain being a dairy farmer:
farming is still the main export earner off this country (but farmers are at the bottom of the heap, and get a trickle off the cash that is left after evryone else has creamed it!
Image
Brian Hamilton, weather enthusiast. My weather dataEmail: [email protected]
Locked