An Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist says there was no real cause for concern from an awesome, powerful looking cloud bank over Cochrane Monday night.
It was spotted at about 8:30. Peter Kimbell reports thunderstorms in the area at the same time.
“Cool, sinking air basically lifts up the warm, moist air ahead of it and causes that formation that people call – I think I’ve seen it online, people are calling a tsunami cloud, but the technical term is actually a shelf cloud,” he explains.
Kimbell adds that it can sometimes be an indication of dangerous weather approaching, but not in this instance.
“If you do see that cloud, it usually signals the leading edge of a thunderstorm. Typically, if it’s going to be a serious nature to the storm, it’s going to be strong, straight-line winds. So it’s not a tornadic signature.”
There were thunderstorms in the area when the shelf cloud moved in.
Kimbell adds a tornadic centre from a wall cloud has a different shape and orientation.
He explains it fully in the audio below.
