- A massive shelf cloud appeared over Haridwar; video of the towering, mountain like wall of clouds went viral.
- Known as a shelf or Arcus cloud, it forms when cold dense air from a thunderstorm downdraft collides with warmer air, creating a gust front.
- Viewers were astonished and curious; some found it scary, others questioned the video's authenticity while people walked nearby on the road.
- IMD issued heavy rain orange alerts for multiple Uttarakhand districts; CM Dhami urged postponing nonessential travel as rivers near dangerous levels and flood risk rises.
A massive shelf cloud appeared in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar on Tuesday and the video of the phenomenon went viral.
WATCH – *SCARY* Amid the heavy rains in India, a massive shelf cloud appeared in Haridwar, Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/Sb3yq9zeKM
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) July 11, 2023
Massive shelf cloud appears in Haridwar; video of scary but beautiful weather phenomenon goes viral
The video of this extraordinary shelf cloud quickly went viral, leaving online viewers astonished and curious about its formation. People were captivated by the towering wall of clouds, resembling the grandeur of a snow-capped mountain.
Interestingly, the video also captures individuals walking along the road as the cloud takes shape against the backdrop. While some thought it was a spectacular sight, others find it scary. Some even questioned the authenticity of the shared video.
The mesmerizing weather phenomenon is called a “shelf cloud”, sometimes referred to as an “Arcus cloud.”
Arcus clouds, have a unique shape that resembles a wedge. They form horizontally below the main cloud base and are often seen at the front edge of a storm, as explained by the Weather Zone.
These fascinating shelf clouds are formed when a mass of cold and dense air is pushed by strong winds into a warmer air mass. This usually happens during the downdraft of a thunderstorm when the cold air rapidly descends and spreads out, creating a powerful gust front. It’s this collision of air masses that gives rise to the impressive formation of shelf clouds.
India Meteorological Department issues heavy rain warnings for the upcoming three days
Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, has appealed to the public to refrain from non-essential travel and has kindly requested tourists to postpone their visits until the situation returns to normalcy. Many rivers in Uttarakhand are getting very close to reaching dangerous levels as there is a high risk of floods in low-lying areas due to heavy rain, Hindustan Times reported.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted a period of substantial rainfall in Uttarakhand over the upcoming three days, TimesOfIndia reported. In response to this prediction, the department has issued an orange alert concerning heavy precipitation in various districts including Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora, Pauri, Dehradun, Tehri, and Chamoli within the next 48 hours.
