Virga Rules The Day.

Southwest Of Hobbs In Lea County This Morning.

Note too the altocumulus mammatus clouds above indicating lots of instability.

Just South Of The Carlsbad Airport This Afternoon.

Virga Bomb South Of Atoka Or South Of Artesia This Afternoon.

Courtesy Of Nola Harris Harvey.

Our skies were full of virga today not to mention the hot temps. Virga is simply precipitation that is falling from the clouds but evaporates before it reaches the ground due to the very dry conditions between the base of the clouds and the ground. Notice the streaks of "rain" falling from the cloud bases above but not reaching the ground. As the rain evaporates it cools and these cool pockets of air are heavier and denser than the hotter drier air below the cloud. When these pockets of cool and relatively more moist air rush downward from the cloud base they hit the ground and fan out. Creating very strong and erratic wind gusts...often over 50 mph and occasionally up to 100 mph.

Courtesy Of NWS Albuquerque On Twitter.

Video I Shot Of A Virga Bomb.

(Hidalgo Gas Plant West Of Orla, Texas).

5-6-2016.

The Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction!