Weather Authority Insider Blog: Mushroom clouds what are they and how do they form

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY-TV) - Over the weekend, we had a few severe storms pop up in the Desert Southwest, and it brought an interesting cloud to our skies here in Yuma.

People say it looked like a mushroom. Take a look.

PHOTO: DEXX TAYLOR (Picture from Saturday August 10, 2024)

A mushroom cloud is a cumulonimbus cloud that has a mushroom-like appearance and can form during severe storms.

PHOTO: BARBARA-HAINES (Picture from 2023)

Cumulonimbus clouds are tall, vertical clouds that contain thunderstorms and are created when strong upper-air currents force water vapor upward. 

PHOTO: DIANA-HAHN (Picture from 2023)

When winds are light and high above the ground, the top of a strong thunderstorm can spread out to form a mushroom or anvil shape.

PHOTO: RAUL M (Picture from 2023)