Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Ominous Cloud Formations

Weather NJ
 
Weather NJ contributor Scott Ellis captured this scene just a half hour ago  ( approx. 6:30pm )from the Great Bay area (coastal Burlington County). Be safe! JC



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Several reports of funnel clouds...
Here’s the scoop. What you’re seeing are “cold air funnel clouds”. They usually form behind a cold front where there is enough instability and moisture to support towering cumulus clouds, but not much precipitation. It is typical for a cold core event to form due to weak dynamic forcing. Wall clouds are rarely observed near a cold core funnel.
They CAN touch the ground and become very weak tornadoes or the water and become water spouts. I’m not worried about damage. Cool to see. Keep your eyes peeled!

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“Cold air funnels form beneath showers or weak thunderstorms when the air aloft is especially cold. The funnels are most common in the fall and spring when the sun is able to heat up the lower levels of the atmosphere, causing convection to bubble up and form showers, but temperatures around 15,000 to 20,000 feet above the ground are quite cold. Cold air funnels are usually harmless, but on rare occasions they can touch down and cause EF-0 level (winds up to 85 mph) tornado damage.”

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