Thunderstorms are common across the Gulf Coast during the warm season. Often the cumulonimbus clouds responsible for those storms give us a glimpse of of their ominous looking base which is known as a shelf cloud.

A shelf cloud is a low, horizontal, wedge-shaped cloud attached to the base of a thunderstorm cloud. When you look carefully, sometimes you can see a rising motion in the leading part of the shelf cloud, while underneath looks messy.

This feature forms when cool air sinks out of the storm and spreads out across the ground and lifts warm, moist air. The moist air condenses creating the shelf cloud. As a shelf cloud moves through, you will feel the wind first and then the rain will follow.

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