14 Nebraskaland • July 2022
IN THE FIELD
By Martha D. Shulski
"UDDERLY" DELIGHTFUL
Pouches that appear to hang from the
underbelly of a storm are a delight for the
photographic lens with contrasting hues
of shadow and light. Mammatus clouds are
whimsical features typically associated with
inclement weather and accompany large
cumulonimbus. These bulges got their name,
as you probably guessed, from the Latin
mamma, meaning "udder" or "breast." With
the exquisite light of a late afternoon sun,
mammatus are often most pronounced and
can take on many different tones.
While three ingredients are typically
needed for cloud formation — rising motion,
moisture and nuclei (dust particle) that serves
as the moisture's home — mammatus clouds
form due to rapidly descending air underneath
the cumulonimbus anvil. If you watch the
direction the anvil is pointing, you'll know
which general direction the storm is moving.
Though not as common, they can also form
and be associated with other cloud types.
When it comes to our dynamic atmosphere,
conditions change quickly at times, and
the lifespan of mammatus is on the order
of minutes to a few hours. As with wildlife,
interesting things happen at the edges and
boundaries. Weather is no different. These
clouds exist on the edges — gradients of
temperature, moisture and wind that make the
perfect home for these "udderly" delightful
pouches.
Mammatus clouds float above Highlands Park in Lincoln in Lancaster County. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
