Pileus, I guess?
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I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before. My CAS Cloud Selector arrived today and was instantly and urgently required! Huge cumulus all around – many were ‘letting off steam’ but this was the best. Northwesterly winds. Reminds me of the jets you see in pictures of black holes.
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I’d hoped for some comment from this excellent community. I don’t think you can call this pileus as it is not a cap but the same sort of thing is happening here. What looks like cirrus is being convected somehow out of the cumulus. Seeing the recent post about cirrus altocumulusgenises does the same kind of terminology apply here I wonder? Look forward to hearing what you could call this peculiar arrangement. Cheers!
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Thanks for sharing this image and your thoughts about it, Tony. It is a nice one to discuss. I agree with you, that there is no pileus in your image. The best guess I have for the white cirrus-like wisps on top and at the right is that the cumulus congestus you spotted is at the stage that it develops into a cumulonombus capillatus producing icy streaks of cirrus at its top, although it is hard to judge how high or how low the whiter clouds at the right are. They do look indeed like cirrus. The darker little ones at the right behind and above the tree seem to be cumulus. They are darker because they are in the shadow of the big one.
It was a nice CAD with the cirrus altocumulogenitus but something the same does not apply here in my opinion.
I must say that I am not sure about my suggestions, so maybe there are other opinions?
Hans
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Thanks Hans, my reference to altocumulogenitus is not because that’s what I think it is but because of the naming convention. Cirrus was being created by upcurrents in the cumulus so it appears – I’ve attached another shot from earlier in the day. All the cumulus looked like it was on fire! One cloud created by another should have a similar name I would have thought. Any ideas?
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Nice spotting again Tony. Now I see a cumulus from which virga is falling. On top of it and at the left some parts are streaky and look icy. But according to the ICA it can only be a cumulonimbus from which cirrus can develop (cumulonimbogenitus). And the virga is also cirrus in this case.
I look forward to any other opinions.
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Hans, I’m very grateful for the dialogue. To be clear I posted this here because I was puzzled by what I saw, and a number of surprising things have been happening in the sky here – asperitas for one. I’m on the SW peninsula surrounded by coast – that’s a factor. The UK has a jet stream ‘loop’ around it right now which causes the wind to veer up to 180 degrees in a few hours. I don’t know if these clouds are especially unusual but I’ve not noticed this before. Here’s a shot from today:
It certainly looks like this cumulus is creating cirrus, contrary to the ICA – or is it something else? Capillatus? Sorry to be so geeky, I’m into the science really.
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Hans, thank you for your answers. I’ve found the ICA says thats very occasionally cirrus can be formed from cumulus congestus – at low temperatures – it’s entered under cirrus. My mind now at rest!
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