10/20/2026
Hey everyone, storm chaser Cody Lee here with the Midsouth Squad weather team! Today, we are putting the radar away for a second and looking straight up into the sky and looking at the clouds. You don't always need a radar screen to know what the atmosphere is cooking up you can read the clouds like a roadmap.
When we're out on a chase across the Midsouth, the changing shapes in the sky tell us exactly how much moisture and instability we're dealing with. Here is your quick guide to decoding the sky right from your own backyard!
Thin, Wispy Cirrus Clouds
These look like high, feather-like streaks across the blue sky. ( Like the wings of a bird) Because they are so high up, they are made entirely of ice crystals. While they look peaceful, they are actually nature's early warning sign. Seeing cirrus clouds usually means a warm front or a new weather system is moving in, signaling a change in the weather within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Patchy Altocumulus Clouds
These look like rows of small cotton balls or gray sheets rippling across the sky. If you step outside on a warm, sticky morning and see these floating around, take note. They show that the mid-levels of our atmosphere are turning unstable. That trapped moisture and heat mean you should expect thunderstorms to fire up by the afternoon.
Fluffy Cumulus Clouds
These are your classic, bright white, puffy clouds with flat bases. When they stay small and scattered, they mean nice, stable, fair weather for the day. But, keep an eye on them! If the afternoon heat starts pushing them, they can grow vertically like giant towers meaning a storm is forming.
Towering Cumulonimbus Clouds
This is where things get serious. When a cumulus cloud grows massive, turns dark at the base, and develops a flat, anvil-shaped top, it becomes a cumulonimbus. These are the heavy hitters. They pack torrential rain, frequent lightning, and large hail. When we see a crisp, solid anvil top on the horizon, we know that the storm has a powerful updraft and is fully capable of producing severe weather or tornadoes.
The Chaser's Eye: Spotting Danger
When the Midsouth Squad is tracking a severe supercell, we look for two major cloud features beneath the main storm. First are Mammatus clouds, which look like eerie, hanging pouches under the storm's anvil. They look terrifying, but they actually signal sinking air on the edge of the storm. Second is the Wall Cloud, a lowering, compact cloud base spinning beneath the rain-free part of the storm. If that wall cloud is persistently rotating, that is the exact spot where a tornado can drop.
Next time you step outside, take a look up at the sky! What kind of clouds are hanging over your neighborhood today? Let me know in the comments below! Stay weather aware, everyone!
