clear air "supercell"

[David Wolfson]

For those interested, pull up the Flagstaff, AZ, radar. The impressive hook-like echo (clear-air mode) is the pyro plume from the Cave Creek Complex wildfire. Alas, it's apparently making a run this afternoon.

You can also see the convergence line of desert and plateau air extending from Flagstaff to southwest of Winslow as it makes its way northeast. This convergence helps to initiate the thunderstorms during the summer monsoons; however it's bone dry today.

 

[Dave Kaplow]

Now that is interesting. A perfect supercell! Or the ghost of one. Very impressive, amazing even, until you realize that the radar is in clear-air mode, and there's no rotation couplet when you look at velocity. So I guess the huge F5 firewhirl that I immediately imagined was under that thing will probably remain imaginary. Still, it's a very cool image. Thanks for pointing it out.