Jul 2, 2025 03:31 PM
https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshe...-are-they/
EXCERPTS: Social media was buzzing with pictures and videos of what many people in the Atlanta area thought was a tornado Tuesday evening. However, I instantly identified it as a “scud cloud” and so did several of my meteorologist colleagues. What are scud clouds and are they harmful?
A National Weather Service website defines them as, “Low, ragged stratiform or cumuliform cloud elements that normally are unattached to larger thunderstorm or cold frontal cloud bases. Scud or pannus is a type of fractus clouds that can look ominous but by themselves are not dangerous.” Check out this website with pictures of “fake tornadoes” that turned out to be scud, shelf clouds, or smoke.
[...] To be fair, the cloud photographed in Atlanta looked very similar to a funnel cloud or tornado. However, the lack of rotation was the key indicator that this was not a tornado... (MORE - details)
Footage of scud cloud captured in Cobb County ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZl7dv0BV4Q
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/aZl7dv0BV4Q
EXCERPTS: Social media was buzzing with pictures and videos of what many people in the Atlanta area thought was a tornado Tuesday evening. However, I instantly identified it as a “scud cloud” and so did several of my meteorologist colleagues. What are scud clouds and are they harmful?
A National Weather Service website defines them as, “Low, ragged stratiform or cumuliform cloud elements that normally are unattached to larger thunderstorm or cold frontal cloud bases. Scud or pannus is a type of fractus clouds that can look ominous but by themselves are not dangerous.” Check out this website with pictures of “fake tornadoes” that turned out to be scud, shelf clouds, or smoke.
[...] To be fair, the cloud photographed in Atlanta looked very similar to a funnel cloud or tornado. However, the lack of rotation was the key indicator that this was not a tornado... (MORE - details)
Footage of scud cloud captured in Cobb County ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZl7dv0BV4Q