photo #5366159

Bill Stanton (Member 59,009) saw this towering Cumulonimbus capillatus cloud on a flight over eastern Arizona, US. This species of Cumulonimbus cloud takes its name from the Latin word capillatus, which means ‘having hair’ because the ice crystals in its spreading canopy, which is known as an incus, give the softened edges up top that can appear hairlike. The incus of a mature storm cloud can resemble a wild, flowing hairstyle, but Bill’s flat-topped storm was still in the ascendant and opted for a buzzcut. Around the towering thunderhead on this hot June day was a gathering of young Cumulus clouds, each eagerly hoping for a chance to sit in the big chair of this atmospheric hair salon.