Rolling with the roll cloud

SKY WATCH FRIDAY time! I am SUPER busy with stimulus yuck, so I might not get a chance to say hi. Please don't take offense. Thanks for the visit in advance. Our hosts: Klaus Sandy Ivar Wren Louise Fishing Guy

Thanks, also,to Dot and Tom, who were instrumental in the success of this blogging event. You should definitely come fly with us!

Last night, I had the rare privilege of shooting a roll cloud, as it approached my home just ahead of a severe warned cell that ended up remaining well north of me at its greatest intensity (are we surprised?) To the right, I have posted a radar capture of my best approximation of what it looked like at that precise moment.The roll cloud did offer and almost rolling appearance especially on its northeastern side, where the weather appeared the worst, and the cloud itself appeared closer to the ground. It rapidly approached and inundated us... with the rumble of thunder in the background, it gave an almost vicious feel, but I was loving every minute of it.

A Roll cloud (like a shelf cloud) is an example of an arcus cloud. An arcus cloud is a low, horizontal cloud formation associated with the leading edge of thunderstorm outflow, or occasionally with a cold front even in the absence of thunderstorms. Cool, sinking air from a storm cloud's downdraft spreads out across the surface with the leading edge called a gust front. This outflow undercuts warm air being drawn into the storm's updraft. As the cool air lifts the warm moist air, water condenses creating a cloud which often rolls with the different winds above and below (wind shear).

A roll cloud is a low, horizontal, tube-shaped, and relatively rare type of arcus cloud. They differ from shelf clouds by being completely detached from the thunderstorm base or other cloud features. Roll clouds usually appear to be "rolling" about a horizontal axis. They can be a sign of possible microburst activity.

~ source

I shot some video.
In other news... I haven't really focused on the Eastern Pacific Hurricane season because "generally" those storms don't pose a threat to land. Well, lo and behold, major Hurricane Felicia, currently a category 4 hurricane has her sites set on Hawaii... like a dead-on collision. Of course, a story like that becomes major news... "Major Hurricane Expected to Slam into Hawaii"... what they aren't emphasizing is that this major hurricane is forecast to weaken tremendously, if not dissipate by the time she gets to Hawaii.

AFTER DAY 3, THE HURRICANE SHOULD BE OVER SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES LESS THAN 26C AND HEADING TOWARD INCREASING WESTERLY SHEAR. STEADY WEAKENING IS INDICATED IN THE FORECAST AT THAT TIME. ALL THE GLOBAL MODELS SHOW A MUCH WEAKER VORTEX AS THE CYCLONE APPROACHES THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS...AND THE SHIPS MODEL EVEN DISSIPATES THE SYSTEM BY THAT TIME.

Be certain to read my post about "late blooming hurricanes" before letting your guard down for the Atlantic season.

Acts 27:25
So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.

God bless,
~Dewdrop