This crazy cloud full of lightening outside my house right now.

[u/FieldElbow]

[u/crazydr13]

Atmospheric scientist here.

This is a beautiful example of a discrete cumulonimbus. Those popcorn looking parts at the top of the cloud are warm air rising and expanding up at the top of the convective core. The convection (hot air rising) is the “engine” that powers the storm and leads to lightning production. Given how active that lightning is, I’m assuming that the convective core is very strong and that the storm is growing very quickly.

These kinds of summer thunderstorms are some of my favorites to watch! I love seeing all the different kinds of lightning and the beautiful cloud structures.

[u/ethylalcohoe → u/crazydr13]

This is really cool.

As a complete layman, what are the new frontiers in atmospheric science? What are you excited about in the near and distant future? By excitement, I just mean scientifically speaking as I’m sure a lot of things will have to deal with the realities of climate change.

Thank you!

[u/crazydr13 → u/ethylalcohoe]

Tons of new frontiers right now in atmos sci. Currently, folks think we’ll be able to better understand the meso, exo, and ionospheres (the last three layers before space) with increased commercial space flight. Additionally, advances in supercomputing has allowed us to better forecast and model everything from local air quality to global weather patterns.

I do atmospheric chemistry so I’m excited that more and more people in power are starting to realize the seriousness of our climate crisis and start taking action. I’ve been working on several carbon capture projects and those get me super amped as well.

[u/paperwasp3 → u/crazydr13]

Very cool. Thanks for the info. That cloud looks like the one that hid the mother ship in Close Encounters.

[u/Obi_Sirius → u/paperwasp3]

I once watched one from 30 or so miles away coming through a mountain pass. It was probably 3 times as active as this one and it was enormous. Yeah, even though I knew exactly what it was it had me wondering.

[u/GrandpaRook → u/Obi_Sirius]

I really want to live somewhere with lots of mountains and valleys, Colorado or Oregon or something like that, smoke a joint and watch the clouds roll through the land

[u/crazydr13 → u/Obi_Sirius]

Mountain weather is absolutely wild. The mountains act as giant wedges to push air up which can cause previously stable air to lift and jumpstart strong convection. On the other end, once a storm is developed and comes off the mountains, it can deepen into the air below to rapidly intensify.

The storm you saw probably had so much lightning because of how much ice was in the upper levels (due to the altitude the base was located) and air being channeled into the updraft base. Sounds like an amazing experience!

[u/Long_Educational → u/crazydr13]

Now that we can command 1000+ drones to swarm, has there been any thought to use drone swarms to map out large storms in real time? Temp, pressure, speed, vapor density, wind speed, etc... to create even better models to predict tornadoes and hurricane development? After seeing drones put on 3d light shows, I have been wondering what other applications this type of command and control could be used for in meteorology.

[u/crazydr13 → u/Long_Educational]

Oh yeah, that would be a fantastic idea for very fine resolution data. I’m not sure how many drones would survive because the air flow within and around storms are notoriously violent. Convection can actually be so strong in storms like this that wind speeds will push 100mph+ going straight up.

I actually worked in the same building with a research team who had a sensor package on a drone and tried to “lose” it into large thunderstorms because no one has ever gotten measurements from inside the convective core.

[u/[deleted] → u/crazydr13]

You're a good person. Never lose that helpful spirit.

It's a pity we have to rely on the genius and selflessness of others as we are entirely unable to regulate ourselves.

[u/chaosmanager → u/crazydr13]

You should do an AMA!

[u/crazydr13 → u/chaosmanager]

I’ve thought about it! I might try to do one this fall/winter

[u/thebusiness7 → u/crazydr13]

I hate to be objective, but what percentage chance do you think there will be a world-wide coordinated effort to mitigate the climate crisis? IMO it's already way past the tipping point, so the chances they'll be able to truly slow climate change is basically zero. Carbon capture doesn't do anything when there's a litany of other greenhouse gases accumulating in the upper atmosphere.

[u/crazydr13 → u/thebusiness7]

Great question. The short answer is I don’t know because I’m not a policy expert but if we don’t act in the next decade, we will see the worst case effects of our climate crisis. You can help affecting that by contacting your local government representative and asking them to take action. It actually does help.

We care most about greenhouse gases (GHGs) building up in the lowest atmospheric level, the troposphere. The troposphere is where those gases cause surface heating, ocean acidification, etc. While it may seem like an insurmountable task, we can tackle it by reducing emissions and sequestering what we can. The ocean is a remarkably good carbon sink but it’s efficiency decreases as more carbon enters the atmosphere.

In terms of carbon capture, it’s the future for many industrial purposes. We will continue to need many manufactured goods and industrial products that are associated with large carbon emissions. You can capture carbon from the exhaust of those facilities with very high efficiency so it never enters the atmosphere in the first place. There’s been some improvement to direct air capture (DAC) but it’s not economically feasible with today’s technology and the low density of CO2 in the air (400-500 parts per million). This amount of CO2 is a big deal for the climate but difficult to optimize with current DAC systems.

[u/Albatross767 → u/ethylalcohoe]

I'll add one more thing.... aviation. Met is the biggest part of flying. Know the weather, respect the weather, fly

[u/Pale-Jacket112 → u/Albatross767]

My entire job is briefing pilots weather for their flight locations…pilots really only learn to read METARS (meteorological aerodrome reports) and TAFs (terminal aerodrome forecasts) but don’t understand the causality of weather and all it’s dynamics unless they’ve studied the field separately.

[u/fapperontheroof → u/crazydr13]

It was completely unrelated to my major, but I took a “Severe and Hazardous Weather” class during senior year of college. I mostly took it because the professor was reportedly amazing/enthralling/funny (and also an easy A). It ended up being my favorite class in my whole academic career.

Your comment brought me right back to that class. Your explanation was easy to understand and your passion shines through. You keep being you.

[u/blindfoldpeak → u/fapperontheroof]

Nearly the same experience for me

[u/Josepsp → u/crazydr13]

Well, you´re the scientist so sure you´re right, but I wouldn´t call that cumulonimbus discrete at all. What an exuberant formation.

Being serious, thanks for the explanations. I remember my early late summer storms at a small village several decades ago, when you had to run to detach the TV power and antenna cables (no computers back then) feeling the heavy atmosphere (I guess electrically charged) in a dark ominous afternoon. It was an eerie and fantastic feeling. Still love it.

[u/AffectionateHead0710 → u/Josepsp]

What would happen if you weren’t able to get all of the things unplugged in time?

[u/Josepsp → u/AffectionateHead0710]

(missing part here, I´m rewriting:). The village is at a high point in the area and prone to be hit by lightning. The very house I´m writing from had a fire years before we moved here, originated by lightning. There was actual fear to left plugged anything able to catch a lighting from the pointy metal on the roof.

So that is for the antenna. Unplugging power cables for devices with standby was a precaution cause electricity spikes and sudden power-downs were frequent during storms, and even today aren´t a rare thing months like this. We´ve had a couple this year. Back then a color TV was still kinda an actual luxury for my family and it was better to be careful.

Funny times those 70s and early 80s in rural Spain.

edit: somehow I messed this up and deleted the whole first paragraph. D'oh!

[u/Frankie52480 → u/crazydr13]

And here I thought it might be photoshopped. Never have I seen a single cloud thunderstorm before! Thanks for the info 🙏

[u/jc-t95 → u/crazydr13]

Watcher of YouTube here. Aliens for sure. It's CH-23's birthday and he likes to party, doesn't want the earthlings watching him. Pretty paranoid guy. So his buddies got him a smoke machine. Clouds, you guys are so naive.

[u/Ornery_Reaction_548 → u/crazydr13]

Thank you for spelling "lightning" correctly.

[u/AlwaysSunnyInAZ → u/crazydr13]

When we have actual monsoon seasons, Arizona gets pretty nuts thunderstorms. https://imgur.com/a/ysEaVIp Here's one from last month in real time. Sadly, the thunderstorm missed my house, but it was a pretty light show.

[u/nyaiaz → u/AlwaysSunnyInAZ]

I'm from Tucson! It's been crazy this year in AZ. I've lived here for most of my 37 years, and I've never seen Tucson this green.

[u/AlwaysSunnyInAZ → u/nyaiaz]

In the Phoenix area these were regular before things were built up! A lot of summer nights were spent enjoying the show. Unfortunately as the heat island has expanded, we're getting fewer and fewer storms.

[u/crazydr13 → u/AlwaysSunnyInAZ]

I’m jealous of your thunderstorms. I live vicariously through storm photographer Mike Olbinski every monsoon season

[u/AlwaysSunnyInAZ → u/crazydr13]

Mike's monsoon videos he posts on YouTube are absolutely beautiful. They stun me every time.

[u/AprilFoolsDaySkeptic → u/crazydr13]

Thank you, amazing weather man! Your happiness is contagious.

[u/duckfat01 → u/crazydr13]

Physicist here. Please explain what causes the electrical imbalances inside a cloud? Electrons move from what to what, why? Serious question, I hate that I'm this old and don't know.

[u/crazydr13 → u/duckfat01]

This is a great question. Current thinking is that it’s a massive static discharge. The convection currents that drive storms have been clocked at up to 90m/s (170mph) and fully saturated with liquid and solid water particles. The collision of all those particles creates a static charge which is discharged into the earth. Here’s the wiki on lightning electrification .

What blows my mind is that you can get both positive and negative lightning strikes. I shoot a lot of storm photography and getting a positive strike will get me amped for days.

[u/duckfat01 → u/crazydr13]

Thanks, I resolved this: "When the rising ice crystals collide with graupel, the ice crystals become positively charged and the graupel becomes negatively charged;" by learning about Kelvin's water dropper! Fascinating stuff! I live in an area with a lot of lightning so I'll also look out for positive strikes now :)

[u/brndndly → u/crazydr13]

As a Climate Science major I appreciate your explanations. My major only scratches the surface of microscale/mesoscale meteorology physics.

What's fascinating to me is that if the convection is strong enough, the clouds can rise up a little bit past the tropopause (from intertia, I'm guessing?).

[u/crazydr13 → u/brndndly]

Glad you're enjoying them! I do atmospheric chemistry so a lot of the dynamics/physics stuff is like black magic in brain.

Yes! You can get overshooting tops on strong storms (like supercells). You're spot on with the inertia aspect. Keep in mind that strong convection can get up to 90m/s which can easily punch into the tropopause before being shorn apart by geostrophic winds and the cool dry air in that layer.

If you ever have any other atmospheric questions, feel free to hit me up! Good luck with your major!

[u/Late_Recommendation9 → u/crazydr13]

ITZ DEM ALIEMS!

[u/crazydr13 → u/Late_Recommendation9]

Independence Day 3: Electric Boogaloo

[u/Question_secrets → u/crazydr13]

Conspiracy Theorist here. You've seen Close Encounters of the Third Kind, right?

[u/Merlin246 → u/crazydr13]

Incorrect, that is Zeus and Thor having an fight. I know the truth

[u/Relativistic_Duck → u/crazydr13]

Why is there no sound of thunder?

[u/Pazluz → u/crazydr13]

Thanks for the comment. Why is it that the clouds only appear in that one area and the rest of the sky is clear. Very interesting indeed.

[u/NotMike422 → u/crazydr13]

Yeah you’re definitely no matter what an atmospheric scientist, you just searched Wikipedia to get that sweet sweet karma.

(It’s a joke) thanks for enlightening us noobs 🙏

[u/VenomWood → u/crazydr13]

Are you sure Thor wasn’t showing off?

[u/JediTrainer42]

Remember who you are.

[u/Comprehensive-Ad2670 → u/JediTrainer42]

Simba!

[u/sum1better187 → u/JediTrainer42]

Siiiimba

[u/Sproose_Moose → u/JediTrainer42]

Haha that was exactly what I was going to write!!

[u/MyAsssIsOnFire]

Ur cloud is powering up!

[u/FLGulf → u/MyAsssIsOnFire]

My neighbor charges her clitoris with a propane tank and a pine cone.

[u/Comedyclan → u/FLGulf]

I like to light my Bush on fire and say “god dammit George we need more oil!”

[u/saladbar48 → u/Comedyclan]

You don't talk to God?

[u/paperwasp3 → u/saladbar48]

Not since she stopped talking back to me

[u/saladbar48 → u/paperwasp3]

It was burning bush joke, my fellow atheist.

[u/MyAsssIsOnFire → u/FLGulf]

I’m happy you exist

[u/the_real_w00zi → u/MyAsssIsOnFire]

Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like.

[u/cabletron46 → u/the_real_w00zi]

Best overall assessment of life I've yet encountered. Thank you, kind stranger.

[u/MotherButterscotch44 → u/FLGulf]

Stop looking in my damn window you weirdo!!!!!

[u/thebusiness7 → u/FLGulf]

So you're her boyfriend when the hubs is away on business trips f***** his mistress?

[u/Psilly_Ben]

All hail the glow cloud

[u/R0GBE4R → u/Psilly_Ben]

I came here only to leave this. Good night, Night Vale, good night.

[u/alexdelargesse → u/Psilly_Ben]

All hail the mighty Glow Cloud

[u/grapesforducks → u/alexdelargesse]

And now, the weather.

[u/alexdelargesse → u/grapesforducks]

Waiting for the bus

[u/Goldinmyhair]

I'm in OTR and was watching the same thing.

[u/mae1347]

Check /r/Cincinnati for a ton of angles of this cloud. I saw it too. It was pretty incredible.

[u/moosemeatjerkey]

Are you near KY Ohio or Indiana by chance?

[u/FieldElbow → u/moosemeatjerkey]

Cincinnati

[u/moosemeatjerkey → u/FieldElbow]

Yea I saw this EXACT cloud a few hours ago so I know exactly where you are at.

[u/tinason3 → u/FieldElbow]

We were all at work in Norwood watching this!

[u/srepmuz]

James and the Giant Peach vibes, the rhino is coming.

[u/FieldElbow → u/srepmuz]

That was my very first thought!

[u/BJK5150]

I’m in NKy. Got this going just south of me and another one to the east.

[u/FieldElbow → u/BJK5150]

Hey neighbor, I'm just across the river.

[u/BJK5150 → u/FieldElbow]

Hah. Just saw a someone else posted this from another angle in the Cincy subreddit as well. Weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.

[u/Arrys → u/BJK5150]

In Cincy also, i thought that cloud looked familiar! It just hung around for a long time yesterday and never stopped with the lightening.

[u/TheLemmonade → u/BJK5150]

Howdy from MA. Same thing up here. Saw one of the tallest lone thunder clouds I’ve seen in years today

[u/Physical-Meaning8651]

Cincinnati? I saw them too! 😍

[u/landofbond]

At least it's not lightning.

[u/FieldElbow → u/landofbond]

Just noticed 😥

[u/justin_memer]

Lightning*

[u/danmickla]

lightning

[u/BruhDaBruhOfBruh]

Studio Ghibli cloud 👏

[u/max-bants]

Bro that's 100% an alien spaceship using fake clouds as cover, about to abduct someone.

[u/FieldElbow → u/max-bants]

I'll go.

[u/max-bants → u/FieldElbow]

Let them know how fucking retarded this planet is, they're probably better off having a conversation with the orange rocks on Mars.

[u/slowlyforgotten → u/max-bants]

They’re probably doing ship maitenence

[u/Rowf → u/max-bants]

Looks like Spielberg’s making a sequel

[u/handmadeabyss]

That’s amazing geez, never seen an isolated cloud like that creating lighting, I always thought it took huge rain clouds to make lightning cause it’s friction that causes it.

[u/lehejo0]

So awesome!! Natures firework display!!

[u/moistsquara]

I'm also near your cloud.. Mason area

[u/Ken-Air]

Someone found the lamp!

[u/chasechippy]

North Kentucky?

[u/down4things]

When the greek gods couple are having a fight upstairs.

[u/asktripleg]

I live in PR and saw this same cloud last night. So cool!

[u/mrelectric322]

Cumulonimbus?

[u/Doblanon5short → u/mrelectric322]

The capital of Ohio?

[u/Foojira]

I see someone misspell lightning i downvote and shame in comments it’s involuntary

[u/PoisonKiss43]

Illinois? I know there’s a big storm system coming through.

[u/mayalourdes]

I see you all haven’t visited my garbage home state of Florida- this is fairly common here

[u/CantFireMeIquit → u/mayalourdes]

Lightning capital

[u/Apollo4163519]

Why is everyone misspelling lightning these days?! I’ve seen it so many times in the last few days alone

[u/din7]

Nah someone is just uploading their data into cloud storage.

[u/Southernman1974]

Ahh, the mother ship has arrived.

[u/ThiccDiccFrambo]

There’s a huge fight between Pitch, Jack Frost and the Sandman going on in there

[u/smoothtaste]

Is this Texas or Florida?

[u/CapriciousKills]

*beautiful

[u/Patient_Display_7722]

Judgement Day is coming!!!

[u/Ainz0oa1Gown]

First time seeing a storm my friend?

Do you know, humans left their caves many years ago...

[u/rare__air]

I guess the aliens are finally here

[u/shadow0861]

Looks like an electric top hat.

[u/Darth-Pooky]

Isn’t that the creature from the Upside Down?

[u/egg123456789]

don’t worry that’s just zeus jacking off

[u/NorthvilleCoeur]

SE Michigan has been crazy like this last couple days

[u/sometimesitrhymes]

This looks fucking cool.

[u/Morty_Sanchez]

Cloud storage

[u/EagerToLearnMore]

Death eaters

[u/Stardust_Particle]

Wow what an illuminated sight with lhe lightening. Looks like the Michelin man.

[u/DorShow]

I see side view of two poodles looking up at the moon

[u/that_hispanic42]

ME TOO NOT EVEN LYING

[u/MindlessSalt]

Cool video. I also love the Tudor homes in the background.

[u/PiperAngus5]

Tilt your head to the left! I see a puppy!

[u/Worldly-Turn]

Damn. That’s interesting

[u/GrouchySkunk]

Nah that's Laputa

[u/Iowafarmgirlatheart]

Heat lightning

[u/Hungry_4monaaay]

That some hocus pocus type shit

[u/Source_8]

🌩God flexing✨having fun🙃

[u/StoopKidd88]

Was waiting for Mufasa outline to appear

[u/FarAcanthaceae1]

It’s just Dumbledore coming for Harry Potter. Nothing to see here

[u/CantFireMeIquit]

Heat lightning

[u/WaffleHouseNeedsWiFi]

Just South of ATL here, got some too! Gorgeous.

[u/UnitedGameYT]

Oo pretty

[u/DarthTrafford]

That looks like something out of the movie Poltergeist.

[u/-Buck65]

Was there a fell voice on the air?

[u/Macaroon-Wise]

It’s Laputa

[u/Azumisearching]

Can I like draw this

[u/krisbbb]

Bro. Don't go near it.

[u/paperwasp3]

Um, I believe you may soon be having a close encounter of the third kind!

[u/cesarivanacosta]

Today we had some of the rarest and strangest clouds ever. I'm from México.

[u/username1573]

Lightning was invented by NASA to cover up space battles.

[u/texasag03]

It’s also full of lightning.

[u/Mikeadon3]

Very very frightening

[u/herefromyoutube]

…they’re coming.

[u/kramel7676]

Why do i hear the Ghostbusters theme song?

[u/ya_boiii2]

Normal day in Florida

[u/ihavenoego]

Kaboom! Blam! Oh, excuse me again, dear.

[u/Guns-and-Pumpkins]

There is an intense fight going on in there … we all know that.

[u/eddiepaperhands]

Also lightning

[u/Sea_Engine_8998]

That cloud about to blow up

[u/Anus__Fucker]

God must be so angry at you.

[u/trickster0ne]

If anime has taught me anything, it's that an awesome battle between two colossal forces is raging somewhere in those clouds.

[u/Internal_Camel7649]

Thor up there messing around...

[u/suddenlygay7368]

We ain't stupid that a edit you can see it shakeing

[u/Unintelligent-Bat936]

That's called heat lightning. My favorite kind

[u/Jolly_Potential_2582]

I don't know who summoned what but I'd get inside a circle of salt before it arrives!

[u/FlyByPC]

Cumulonimbus. Very angry, convective cloud, often full of hail, lightning, and the wings of hapless GA aircraft that got too close.

Do Not Recommend.

[u/cefddcdfvefvdfvfevve]

Lightning in the title is spelled wrong.

[u/Cool1Mach]

I see this at least 20 times every summer in west texas. Cool but nothing special.

[u/agbellamae]

I have a weird desire to be inside that cloud even though I know it would be deadly. Just wanna see everything close up!

[u/yaier5]

So cool!! Thanks for sharing

[u/[deleted]]

I’m in Orlando and I saw a cloud doing the exact thing a few hours ago. Shit was weird

[u/FuzzyTriangles → u/[deleted]]

You mean common as fuck, right? I'm in Orlando, too. Shit is pretty normal.

[u/[deleted] → u/FuzzyTriangles]

No, I meant what I wrote. It’s weird. I’ve never seen that before. Fuck off

[u/deomc1294]

Waiting for Mufasa to tell me to “Remember!”

[u/OnceWasHell]

It's just alioth from loki, it's OK it's only the ender of time Lol

[u/Mistborn_First_Era]

shit you found laputa

[u/Sonotme404]

Thor is here

[u/Master_Phyrnostes]

I've been seeing a lot of clouds very much like this around where I live recently. Pretty awesome, though I hope it isn't a bad sign of some kind.

[u/FuzzyTriangles → u/Master_Phyrnostes]

Super common in south Florida. Have been for my whole life. Just a sign someone else is getting rain. No big deal.

[u/RengokuKyojuro-]

there's a fight happening in the clouds!

[u/Complex-Puzzleheaded]

you live in harry potter neighbourhood

[u/QueentToHisKing]

"Simba"

[u/EdithVictoriaChen]

made this for u op: https://gfycat.com/classicreadyliger u/fieldelbow

[u/BreakfastShots]

2022 is now loading.

[u/Embarrassed_Test6842]

Dude where do you live I saw that driving home

[u/vkichline]

Put out the candle! Never burn black candles!

[u/tschatman]

Good it‘s not inside your house.

[u/Forsaken_Lawyer]

The clouds evolving to stage 2 where it is able to shoot lightning bolts out every 2 minutes

[u/VenomWood]

Things like this makes me understand why people believed in a bunch of elaborate gods back in the day.

[u/DerickT90]

nice

[u/oldladyri]

Is this in RI?

[u/KristinLydia]

I got a video of this too! If I can ask, where are you at?

[u/hfneixbfj]

Don’t worry Mufasa just had to remind Simba who he was again

[u/TysuruGX]

90’s kid here - this is actually the start of that black rhinoceros cloud from James and the Giant Peach.

[u/Constantine_iii]

Is no one gonna talk about how blue it is

[u/pazdemy]

I was flying from Cancun to LA about 6 hours ago and saw a lightning show from my seat. Any chance that was the same cloud?

[u/LaraLovesCakes]

Genie is pissed.

[u/NPCSR2]

Genie for my first wish....

[u/spacebunny_26]

Thor sneezing

[u/IveNoClueWhyImHere → u/spacebunny_26]

Nah… It’s Loki fucking with the time variance

[u/brooker_44]

Saw a cloud like that once in myrtle Beach. Fascinating

[u/savyh20]

Huh it's storming here now

[u/TheGameChallenger]

Zeus is having an argument

[u/Distinct-Employer539]

See what happens when you masturbate?