Unusual Clouds in Sumter

Check out these clouds in Sumter. They are called mammatus clouds. They develop near strong thunderstorms. Here’s why. In thunderstorms, air rises very quickly – sometimes as fast as 100 mph. And since the atmosphere is a closed system, there must be something to balance out this rising air. These mammatus clouds happen when air that is saturated, sinks very quickly. And so the clouds look like sagging pouches of clouds. This picture was taken by Barbara Smith on Monday.