Rare glimpse of spectacular supercell
Swirling winds, a lack of rain and a stunning lightning show made
for a spectacular sight as a supercell formed over the Goldfields on
Sunday.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder meteorological station manager Steven Black said
the cloud formation was an “excellent example of a low precipitation
supercell”.
“Supercells such as these form over dry arid areas and are noticeable
due to the circular shape of the lower part of the cloud,” Mr Black
said. ”The shape comes from the presence of a mesocyclone, which is
essentially a little vortex with the air moving around in circles and
upwards. ”What made this cloud so spectacular was there was very little
rain and made it very easy to view.” Mr Black said just 1.8mm of rain
was recorded in Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the 24 hours to 9am yesterday,
making the supercell even rarer. ”Supercells are not uncommon in WA, but
low precipitation examples are quite rare,” he said. ”What made it even
more stunning was the lightning that was in the area at the same time.”
Source au.news.yahoo
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