Mammatus cloud

"Mammatus" redirects here. For the Ninjago character, see Mammatus (Ninjago).

Mammatus (also called mamma or mammatocumulus, meaning "mammary cloud") is a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud, typically a cumulonimbus raincloud, although they may be attached to other classes of parent clouds. The name mammatus is derived from the Latin mamma (meaning "udder" or "breast").

According to the WMO International Cloud Atlas, mamma is a cloud supplementary feature rather than a genus, species or variety of cloud. The distinct "lumpy" undersides form as cold air sinks, creating pockets that contrast with the rising puffs of clouds caused by the convection of warm air. These formations were first described in 1894 by William Clement Ley.

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