Mammoth Mammatus

Clouds come in all shapes and sizes, but Cloud of the Month for October exhibits gigantic proportions. Looming over Cape Town, South Africa, the pendulous udders of this ‘mamma’ formation (also known as ‘mammatus’) dwarf the mountains and the town below. Mamma like this tend to appear on the underside of Cumulonimbus clouds’ anvils (the canopies of cloud that spread outwards up at the top of these huge storm clouds). Only when they can be seen alongside the ground is it possible to get a sense of the size if each lobe of cloud.

This photograph also marks a huge milestone in the history of The Cloud Appreciation Society. It is the gallery’s 10,000th image. So well done to Anton du Preez for capturing the image, and 10,000 thank yous to all the other cloud appreciators who have sent in to the gallery over the years such beautiful, dramatic and glorious cloudscapes for the world to enjoy.

Photograph © Anton du Preez.