Rare shelf cloud spotted

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A rare “shelf cloud” formation was observed over Bahrain shortly after midnight, coinciding with the thunderstorm that swept across the Kingdom. This was according to Professor Dr. Wahib Issa Al-Nasser, Professor of Applied Physics.

Speaking to Al-Ayyam, Dr. Al-Nasser said the appearance of the shelf cloud is closely associated with active storm systems and typically signals unstable weather conditions.

He explained that a shelf cloud is a low, dense, arcshaped formation that stretches horizontally across the sky, resembling a suspended ledge.

Thunderstorms

It usually forms along the leading edge of strong thunderstorms, created by the interaction between warm rising air and cooler descending winds at the storm front.

The cloud remains attached to the base of a cumulonimbus cloud.

Dr. Al-Nasser noted that the presence of such clouds often indicates the imminent arrival of an intense storm front, bringing the likelihood of sudden weather changes, including stronger winds, a drop in temperatures, and heavy rainfall—conditions that were observed across Bahrain.

He added that the phenomenon follows the recent sighting of “mammatus” clouds in the Kingdom’s skies, which form when cold air descends from upper cloud layers.

Unlike shelf clouds, however, mammatus formations do not necessarily signal heavy rainfall, whereas shelf clouds are typically linked to more active and severe thunderstorms.