monster cloud

by anthony
(philippines)

i think it will vanish all the area....

Barry's Response - I think you are referring to severe weather, like the storms shown in the tornado pic above and photos on the severe weather pictures page.

The storms can be dangerous, last a long time or pass suddenly and cause death or damage, or none.

Name that System

We know most by names such as thunderstorms, tornadoes or hurricanes, and we can also have hailstorms or blizzards. But heat waves and droughts also fall under the severe weather category.

Other names given to storms are:

• Sea storm, winds 48 knots or greater on the open water
• Wind storm, more wind than rain
• Derecho, another wind storm
• Dust devil, localized upward convection. May look like a mini-tornado at times.
• Squall, quick surprising gust of wind
• Gale, temperate-climate storm with at least 34 knot wind speed.
• Ice storm, freezing rain that results in an accumulated layer on the ground.
• Tempest, general name for a storm

Other synonyms include blast, blow, typhoon, cyclone, disturbance, downpour, gust, monsoon, rain, whirlwind, twister, chaos, convulsion, furor, tumult, upheaval, uproar, haboob, sandstorm and bluster. And special, not necessarily weather-related types include firestorms, locust (or other insect) storms and solar- or geo-magnetic storms just to name a few.

Storms Everywhere

Mars has dust and sandstorms similar to the Earth. Jupiter great red spot is a persistent storm and Venus has a pair of quasi-permanent polar cyclones. Saturn, Uranus and Neptune have also shown spots suspected to be storms.

The important thing about all this weather is that it eventually passes, which MAY be what you are getting at.

That sounds like something out of a Marvel movie. Climate is what you pack, not what you wear. So let's pack some science too. And what is this thing? Whatever it is, its clouds carry more water than politicians during election season.

Fear Them?

The best part: storms are natural. There's always been one somewhere. Way back when, Solomon didn't need a carbon tax to respect nature. He read about storms in the Book of Job.

Today, every lightning bolt comes across as a morality play. They say the Monster Cloud is mad at your SUV. But what if... just maybe... nature plays a longer game?

The weather waltzes are danced by the sun, ocean currents, and cosmic rays. Let's not give CO2 lead vocals all the time.

Cheers, Anthony. Cloud monster? Maybe so, as speeches don't matter as much as storms. Shorelines, forests, and maybe souls are still being shaped by these things. All we can do is try not to stand under the bucket of the sky.

Keep yourself safe. Look at the clouds, not only the headlines. Don't be afraid of storms, love them. And don't just think in slogans.

Let's watch the skies like poets and scientists, not political operatives. And let's have fun, name monster clouds, learn from them, and even write about them. Enough random thoughts from me. Your turn.

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