It is called the anvil, and clearly shows the ceiling of the tropopause, the boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere which is the next layer of our atmosphere. This boundary can be ...

Anvil clouds. Image number ISS042-E-215303 from the International Space Station. Credit: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center ...

HOUSTON — Anvil clouds can often look like an alien spacecraft trying to land, We’ve had emails suggesting there is a UFO in the sky and immediately when I see the picture, it’s an anvil cloud.

Several Local 12 viewers around the Tri-State this weekend sent in photos of an oddly-shaped cloud asking for an explanation of what it is and how it forms.

Anvil clouds. Image number ISS042-E-215303 from the International Space Station view more ...

Cirrus clouds that forms atop a thunderstorm spread outward and can form anvil clouds. These clouds flatten on top as they reach the stratosphere, where the atmosphere begins to warm with height.

Heat and humidity fueled a dazzling lightning show across the Washington and Baltimore region on Wednesday night.

Brett McKim, Sandrine Bony, Jean-Louis Dufresne. Weak anvil cloud area feedback suggested by physical and observational constraints. Nature Geoscience, 2024; DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01414-4 ...