Friday, May 17 2013 7:16 PM EDT2013-05-17 23:16:53 GMT
One person has died in a crash near Harrisonville, MO, Thursday evening. The crash happened on Missouri Highway 7 and Walker Road. It involved a car and a tractor-trailer. Harrisonville is in Cass County.More >>
Savannah Nash celebrated her 16th birthday last week. She died Thursday when her car slammed into a semi while she was texting during her first time driving by herself.More >>
Saturday, May 18 2013 11:19 PM EDT2013-05-19 03:19:44 GMT
The Charlotte Bobcats are in the process of changing their name to "Hornets," a source with knowledge of the situation told CBSSports.com's Will Brinson, including arranging digital assets that wouldMore >>
The Charlotte Bobcats are in the process of changing their name to "Hornets," a source with knowledge of the situation told CBSSports.com's Will Brinson, including arranging digital assets that would allow a return to their original nickname.More >>
Savannah Nash celebrated her 16th birthday last week. She died Thursday when her car slammed into a semi while she was texting during her first time driving by herself.More >>
A picture taken of one of the storms in Mecklenburg county yesterday looks particularly ominous. It had several viewers asking, "If this wasn't a tornado, what was it?"
The lowering you're seeing is likely what is known as a wall cloud. Thunderstorms develop when warm, moist air rises. Eventually it cannot rise anymore, and spreads out in the upper levels. More air rushes in to replace that spreading air, and sometimes very humid rain-cooled air is pulled into the storm. Since it condenses more quickly than the warmer air, you will see it lower in the sky.
They are often slanted, and are often resemble tornadoes at first glance.
Sometimes, wall clouds rotate, making them look even more like twisters. If there is significant rotation, tornadoes can develop from the wall clouds.
If you see one, regardless of whether or not it spawns a tornado, you should take that storm seriously. A storm strong enough to produce a wall cloud will likely have strong, potentially damaging winds or large hail.
To look at other photos from Monday's storms, or to submit your own, click here.
