#cumulus congestus

[cleverreports]

We report: mid-November, in those few hours when the sun is high in the sky, it is akin to a supernova - a mass of light we always gravitate towards. Summer is still trailing in the back of our mind, like a spot of sunshine on the floor, yet we are already midway through autumn.

[seud-luachmhor]

[clementinesclouddiary]

2024.05.14

Absolutely righteous cumulus congestus on the way home from work. I felt as if surrounded by mountains. I wish I could have photographed it better.

[cloudspotters-club]

A majestic cumulus congestus!

[ziggyplusspiders]

surprise! check out these clouds and you BETTER think that they are cool

[riscv-lesbianism]

Woag pretty clouds

[lemongogo]

[meteorologears]

Clevinger's Cloud - Why It's Got To Be A Cumulus Congestus Cloud With A Pileus Accessory Cloud!

Based on a little research, it turns out that military bomber pilots could be 30k feet in the air in their planes. This, of course, widens the amount of possible cloud types that it could've been. I would also like to rule out clouds that canvas the entire sky---such would defeat the point of him having "a cloud" to disappear into.

However, we can learn a few more things from this excerpt:

the cloud was coastal. This is relevant due to the differential heating that happens between land and sea. Different kinds of clouds will form if it's over land

The text says "down through", which I will take as meaning that their planes were under the 30k maximum height. I'd be willing to vouch then, that this cloud was mid to low elevation

The color was white, and it (of course) was formed in the mediterranean. Not all clouds are capable of forming everywhere, so already we're looking at something that's more equatorial, and it's not a storm cloud

A helicopter circled the cloud. This matters!! Helicopters were still pretty new in the 1940s, in fact, 1942 marked one of the first helicopter flights. Most importantly, helicopters in 1944 had an approximate height of 7100 meters, or 23k feet

Based on this, you can guess that the cloud was probably a mid to low level cloud. Most likely, this was an altocumulus or a cumulus cloud. However, the thing that bothers me about claiming it's a cumulus is because cumulus clouds tend to be under 10k feet, and if this was Clevinger's cloud, then he'd have to be landing. So let's check the next thing: how far are Elba and Parma?

Well, I think that answers that question. Turns out there's an equation to determine when a pilot should start their descent: 3 miles for every 1,000 feet you have to lose. Assuming that they were flying at 30k feet, they'd need to be 90 miles out before they begin landing. That's actually not that helpful. HOWEVER, Pianosa IRL is only 36 miles away from Elba. That's more interesting.

According to this, they'd still be on their ascent. Assuming that the 3-to-1 rule is similar here (I looked it up; it is), in 36 miles, they'd about 12k feet in the air (doing the direct math, you get around 12,900 feet. I'm basically right). That eliminates a few different species of cumulus cloud, which would generally be too low-level.

My problem with stratocumulus clouds is: look at this textbook case of stratocumulus

That's not "a cloud"! That's my problem here. The "a" article represents that the cloud is alone; if you're picking stratocumulus, you wouldn't use a single article for that!! If you really wanted to stretch it by the larger definition of stratocumulus--"clouds that evade sorting into other categories", then maybe. Maybe. I'm putting a pin in this for now. I'm going to be eliminating other low/mid level clouds like stratus (it's certainly not), and cumulonimbus (if Clevinger flew into a storm cloud, yeah, that would be problematic. Serious pilots go out of their way to evade these things. While it is high enough, it's also not really a white cloud, and it's ginormous. They wouldn't have gone on a flight path that took anyone through a cumulonimbus).

Cumulus humulis and cumulus mediocris are both too low. The only real contender, I think, is very obviously cumulus congestus. These are vertically developed clouds and can be up to 20k feet tall, and even higher if they're near the equator (which, last time I checked, Italy is). Look at this beautiful thing:

Now that's "a cloud"! Additionally about this type of cloud; it's capable of developing into a cumulonimus storm cloud, and can occasionally cause showers itself. The atmosphere in a growing culumus congestus would be unstable in order for it to continue to grow, and the instability within the cloud would make this more dangerous to travel through. One final test is this line:

Turnip-shaped. Turnip-shaped?! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?

Uhhhh..... Okay. Alright. Uh. Hm. So I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume one of two things: either Heller doesn't know how clouds work, or he's talking about some kind of striations at the top of the cloud that make it look like leaves. A cloud with a round base that has a thin bit and then a larger top. Okay guys, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say maybe this means it's a cumulus congestus with a pileus accessory cloud on top. It might look something like this

Which. If you squint. Is kind of reminiscent of a turnip. Imagine a thin, tall cumulus congestus, and this on the top. It almost looks like leaves. This is still the most likely cloud, as it's the most unstable of the cumulus clouds (aside from cumulonimbus, of course) and could actually cause someone's plane to go down!

In conclusion: Clevinger's cloud was likely a cumulus congestus cloud with an accessory pileus cloud.

[zofet]

-The common cloud progressions that begin with the Cirrus whisper and end with crashing Cumulus congestus, or even the roar of the Cumulonimbus"

[smile-files]

i find it very funny how clouds can have dual names like they're organisms. the noble cirrus uncinus. the enigmatic cumulus congestus. all of these fascinating species and more at my Cloud Zoo

[thecloudidentifier]

identify this, weatherboy (said derogatorily)

okay 😁

1: cumulus congestus

2: cumulus fractus

3: turkey tower most likely

4: cumulus humilis

[cleverreports]

We report: August is on its last legs, and the days are messy, dusty, rusty, and the air weighs more and more with each passing moment. There is dry grass in the puddles that today's shower left behind. The light exhausts itself in sunsets, stretching the evening thin.

[quasarlasar]

MELISSA AND THE ALLIES OF GAIA ART DUMP 2 - THE WATERSPOUTS

More art of the storm avatars Melissa encounters in Episode 9 of the story I posted on Wattpad, this time the waterspouts.

The first image shows the fair-weather waterspouts. They are summoned by a cumulus congestus cloud that turns out to be a weaker form of the supercell encountered later in the episode. They're quite playful and fairly harmless, to the point they hi-five the fishermen controlling them with their little sub-vortex arms. A pair of fishermen on a charter boat have been using them to suck up entire shoals of fish and deposit them on the boat for them. Since this is basically a complete misuse of nature (and cruel to the fish besides), Melissa has to stop them.

The lead waterspout, however, seen in the second image, is a true tornado, summoned by the supercell in its full-powered form. It has a stark white color, and means business. Melissa tries to stop it like in the legend of Pecos Bill lassoing a tornado, except this time by wrapping it up in fishing line. The tornado's subvortices resemble fish fins, with a pair like pectoral fins and another pair like a caudal fin. The caudal fin I imagine rotates with the rest of the tornado like the blades of a propellor, churning up the water. It turns out the fins are semi-solid and can catch a fishing hook.

As you can probably guess, this doesn't work out well for Melissa. The tornado's just too powerful, and sucks Melissa out of the charter boat. I have no idea what EF rating this guy would have, but it's strong enough to lift the charter boat high into the air and crumple it up like it's a wad of tissue paper.

Fortunately, Melissa is able to soar all the way up the supercell's updraft and free it from the evil weather magic artifact that's controlling it. It's explained more in the story, but supercell avatars are ridden by basically going inside them and piloting them like they're some giant mothership/airship.

Here's a sketch of the supercell again, but in profile, showing how her anvil is very elongated when seen from the side (I feel like my original drawings made it look very rounded like there's no wind shear...it really would be elongated downshear). It is mentioned in the story that her original pilot is a man who wore a cowboy hat. I'm thinking of having the pilot show up in a sequel, where he will be revealed to be this stormchaser who unwittingly stumbled upon the Allies of Gaia doing a mission with their storm avatars. He was originally sentenced to have his memory wiped, but he ended up loving the idea of riding storms so much he became a member. I imagine the supercell (who Melissa will call "Mr Thunders") was actually given the name Empress by her original pilot.

My original idea was that the pilot would basically be someone who looks like Pecos Hank but with the personality of Reed Timmer, but then the Twisters movie trailer came out and did exactly that with one of the characters. So I'm not sure yet what his personality will end up being.

In any case, I was totally listening to the song released for Twisters, "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma" by Luke Combs, while drawing these. That, and, "Vicarious" by Tool. Both could potentially be anthems for storm watchers, lol.

[cosmicanger]

photo taken by Rick Geiss from Gulf Shores, Alabama in July 2016, showing a majestic cumulus congestus cloud with a microburst pouring a rain shaft over the ocean

[ziggyplusspiders]

cloud fans we are eating well tonight

[thecloudidentifier]

cumulus congestus & cumulus fractus in the 5th & 6th photos

blue sky and white clouds in ili by 刘知著