
February 2013
A Squall Line over the Okavango Delta, Botswana
The Cloud of the Month for February is Basil Stathoulis’s photograph of dramatic thunderstorms lined up across the vast expanse of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. When Cumulonimbus clouds become aligned like this, they are known as a ‘squall line’. It is a weather formation that can persist for many hours, producing fierce winds, hail, and even tornados. At the leading edge of the weather system, strong updrafts of air develop into new storm cells, starting as large Cumulus clouds before maturing into the Cumulonimbus storm clouds. These squall lines can stretch hundreds of miles, as they sweep across the terrain.
Photograph © Basil Stathoulis.
. Granny Weatherwitch, ex- U.K. Met. Office
February 4, 2013 at 7:21 pmGood to see a black and white image on CAS. In these days of digital colour cameras,we tend to forget what a dramatic impact a black and white photograph can have. The view point seems to be quite high up, a the trees look small and at a slight angle BUT the landscape iss flat. I’m iitrigued – was this picture taken from a nearby mountain of from an aircraft flying at about ? 200 feet? GWW
Shaun Coxall
February 6, 2013 at 9:49 amLove it in Black and White. More perspective to a stunning subject matter.
Leslie Davis
February 7, 2013 at 10:23 pmI too, love the drama of “black and white”. It is a glorious photograph.
Warren Rowe
February 8, 2013 at 5:09 amThe black and white makes this picture ever more stunningly beautiful. Excellent work.
Pauline Warman
February 8, 2013 at 1:13 pmBrilliant photo – especially like the b&w
elsa dengra garcia
February 15, 2013 at 12:58 pmPillar a una nube in fraganti, genial!
Mrs. Bradbury
March 30, 2013 at 9:13 amHas there been a Cloud of the Month for March or has this been discontinued?
Jan ten Sythoff
March 30, 2013 at 4:30 pmHope to see more often b&w pictures