#1950 "Thunder Cloud

The shelf cloud appeared on the western horizon of Singleton Lake. The anvil from the cumulonimbus had already created overcast layers of cloud above. This means there was sufficient wind shear in the wind profile supporting the thunderstorm. I was not certain if it was speed, directional or a combination of both types of wind shear. This balance of shear types determines how the storm will develop and the weather it will bring. There was even some fine looking mammatus pouches hanging down from the underside of the anvil. The thunder was just becoming audible so the lightning and the updrafts were still about 20 kilometres to the west. I figured I had just enough time to paint before the torrential rain would arrive. There was no point simply letting the moment escape. 

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The land was not going anywhere so I focussed on the turbulent and rapidly changing cloud structures. The light colour adjacent to the horizon was the heavy rain associated with the forward flank downdraft. This heavy rain had a pink tint to its appearance. The shelf cloud was formed on and riding the gush of cold air that was drawn earthward by this heavy rain. There was a lot of turbulence in this strong convective cloud. The fishing boats that had been out on the lake had retreated back to camp.

The radar signature was that of a bow echo but we certainly missed the strongest winds at Singleton Lake. The upper cold low had shifted just east of Lake Michigan since the earlier painting #1949 "Many Colours in the Storm". The following day was going to be more of the same across southern Ontario.

The oils on my palette were at least a month old and these clouds were a good place to apply them. It was fun. I retreated into the studio just before the deluge. I barely made it by just about a minute. The lightning was also getting much too close for comfort. That metal easel makes a really excellent lightning rod. 

Warmest regards from Phil the Forecaster … keep your paddle in the water…

PS: More of my art can be found at https://pixels.com/profiles/1-phil-chadwick.html