You may have spotted it over the mountains near Vancouver, B.C. or the Bellingham area - a strange looking cloud with a flat top that resembles a giant anvil. Anvil cloud in Ferndale, Washington.

An amazing photo of a thunderstorm anvil cloud was snapped by scientists during a mission to study the thunderstorm environment and how it affects the chemistry of the atmosphere.

That cloud is popularly known as an anvil cloud, because of its shape. The technical name for this type of cloud is cumulonimbus incus. It is often associated with lightning and heavy rain or hail.

Flying high over the ground in a plane, a thunderstorm's anvil cloud might be the last thing you want to see, but it's exactly what a group of scientists conducting an airborne mission were ...

HOUSTON — Anvil clouds can often look like an alien spacecraft trying to land, We’ve had emails suggesting there is a UFO in the sky and immediately when I see the picture, it’s an anvil cloud.

More information: Weak anvil cloud area feedback suggested by physical and observational constraints, Nature Geoscience (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01414-4 Journal information: Nature Geoscience ...

Dear Tom,I have seen cumulonimbus clouds (thunderheads) with classic anvil formations at the top. What air mass is above the anvil causing it to flatten?Scott, Bloomingdale, Ill. Dear Scott, The tr… ...

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Well, on days with widely scattered thunderstorms, you might capture a good view of a well-developed cumulonimbus tower in the distance. The upper portion of the cloud may ...

The cloud is shaped like an anvil because it’s hitting the bottom of the stratosphere, KXAN’s Natalie Ferrari explains. The air at the top of the storm is much cooler than the stratosphere, so ...

DC-8 mission manager Frank Cutler snapped a stunning image of the anvil cloud from the plane. Anvil clouds often develop with cold fronts: When a mass of cool, dry air pushes into a warm, moist air ...