Rare cotton ball-like clouds spotted over Argentina: What are mammatus clouds?

Buenos Aires, Nov 23: A video of mammatus clouds forming over a Argentina recently is doing the rounds on social media. The spectacular moments of the rare mammatus clouds were captured in Casa Grande, Córdoba. The clouds are shaped like cotton balls making it look surreal.

It is believed the rare phenomenon was recorded on November 13, 2021. Mammatus are sagging, pouch-like lumps on the undersides of clouds that usually happens after thunderstorms.

Composed primarily of ice, these cloud pouches can extend hundreds of miles in any direction, remaining visible in your sky for perhaps 10 or 15 minutes at a time.

The clip was uploaded on YouTube with a caption that read, "Late Saturday afternoon the sky was covered with these unusual clouds that made us feel as if we were trapped in a vivarium, then came the strong storm with lightning, winds, and hail. We were lucky to have been there to capture this strange phenomenon, which may be a product of weather manipulation."

So the question arises, how do these cloud bottoms appear like bubbles?

What are Mammatus clouds?

Mammatus are pouch-like cloud structures. They're also a rare example of clouds in sinking air-- most clouds form in rising air.

How do mammatus clouds form?

Mammatus clouds are usually formed in association with large cumulonimbus clouds. Typically, turbulence within the cumulonimbus cloud will cause mammatus to form, especially on the underside of the projecting anvil as it rapidly descends to lower levels.

What does mammatus clouds indicate?

Mammatus clouds most often signal that a storm is on a weakening trend. These clouds are formed in part by sinking air. One theory has that ice crystals that form high up in the storm's anvil become heavy enough to fall.