Shelf Clouds & Wall Clouds.
What was interesting about all of the Supercell thunderstorms I chased on May 30th was that they exhibited the same behavior underneath a northwest flow aloft regim. These storms would start out moving off to the northeast or east, then make that famous right turn to the southeast. This enhances the low and mid-level inflow into the storms. I have always believed (for the past 48 years I have been chasing/watching storms locally) that we have a contributing factor that plays a big role in storm rotation. That is terrian enhancement from the Capitan, Sacramento, and Guadalupe Mountains.
They all exhibited a combination of rotating wall clouds and shelf clouds at times simiationasouly. Once the rear flank downdraft undercut the inflow section of the thunderstorm the wall clouds dissipated and the shelf clouds became dominate. Perhaps with a little more heating and low-level wind shear feeding into the storms more tornadoes would have delveloped than was reported on that day. Who says New Mexico's weather is boring?
Anyway I was a very happy camper May 30th and the days preceeding. I haven't had much to chase the last couple of years due ot our severe to exceptional drought.
The Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction!
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