Thunder is one of nature’s most dramatic sounds, often accompanying the brilliant flash of lightning during a storm. But what causes this rumbling roar in the sky?

Thunderstorms can be characterized by their classic anvil-shaped tops, which are where the air hits a strong, stable layer of the atmosphere and can’t force its way through it. This layer is often ...

Flooding, gusty winds and dangerous lightning for some, a few distant rumbles and maybe sprinkles in the dust for others.

Mammatus clouds typically form beneath the anvil of a cumulonimbus cloud. And unlike most other clouds, which develop as a result of rising air, mammatus clouds actually form from sinking air.

If the air is warm and humid near the Earth’s surface but much colder higher up, a fair-weather cumulus cloud can quickly grow into a towering cumulonimbus—the kind that brings thunderstorms.

This cool time-lapse clip showcases the amazing way cumulonimbus clouds form, shift, grow, and move across the sky, proving that even "ordinary" fluffy clouds are anything but placid.

If a cumulonimbus cloud has enough energy to produce one of these anvil clouds, the likelihood of severe weather being associated with it is very high. An odd fact related to the anvil cloud is that ...

Cumulonimbus clouds shoot up through the atmosphere, creating a tower known as an anvil - a clear sign thunderstorms are in the forecast.

Thunderstorms are a common during the spring in Texas and identifying certain cloud structures within a storm can help us determine its severity.

Cirrus clouds that forms atop a thunderstorm spread outward and can form anvil clouds. These clouds flatten on top as they reach the stratosphere, where the atmosphere begins to warm with height.

When cumulonimbus clouds grow high enough into the atmosphere, the temperature becomes cold enough for ice clouds, or cirrus, to form. Clouds made up entirely of ice are usually more transparent.

An anvil, referred to as an anvil top or cumulonimbus incus (a tongue-twister, indeed), serves as a distinct indication of a powerful thunderstorm. Easily identifiable by its protrusion from the side ...