The wall cloud is much smaller and more compact than a shelf cloud and is usually under a rain free cloud base. Scud clouds are often mistakenly called wall clouds or funnel clouds. In reality, these are just rising clouds due to increased low level relative humidity.

Dec 20, 2024 · One common mistake is misidentifying a shelf cloud as a wall cloud. While both can appear ominous, they differ significantly in appearance and associated weather phenomena. In this article, we’ll explore the differences between these cloud types, their formation, and their impact on severe weather.

Dec 20, 2024 · The difference between a wall cloud and a funnel cloud is that wall clouds form at the base of thunderstorms and may exhibit rotation, while funnel clouds always rotate and extend downward from the thunderstorm base with a cone-shaped appearance.

Wall clouds are inflow clouds and tend to slope inward, or toward the precipitation area of a storm. Shelf clouds, on the other hand, are outflow clouds that jut outward from the storm, often as gust fronts. Also, shelf clouds tend to move outward away from the precipitation area of a storm.

A funnel cloud is a funnel-shaped cloud of condensed water droplets, associated with a rotating column of wind and extending from the base of a cloud (usually a cumulonimbus or towering cumulus cloud) but not reaching the ground or a water surface. [1]

A wall cloud is an isolated cloud lowering attached to the rain-free base of the thunderstorm. The wall cloud is usually to the rear of the visible precipitation area. A condensation funnel is made up of water droplets and extends downward from the base of the thunderstorm.

Mar 29, 2022 · Is there a low hanging cloud, called a wall cloud, sticking out at the bottom of a severe thunderstorm? If you answered yes to both, then you most likely are observing a tornadic funnel forming...

Mar 31, 2020 · Wall clouds are most often associated with supercell thunderstorms. Wall clouds are precursor to funnel clouds and tornadoes. In some case when a supercell has heavy precipitation, known as a...

The key to differentiating between a scud cloud, wall cloud, or funnel cloud is to find signs of rotation or to determine if they are attached to the base of the thunderstorm. Pannus clouds can often be mistaken for a developing tornado, landspout, or waterspout.

As bands of showers and storms developed Tuesday afternoon and evening, several people submitted photos of wall clouds and potential funnel clouds. There were multiple rotating showers and storms, and fortunately little in the way of tornado touchdowns across central Kentucky and our part of southern IN.