QueenB Radio Skycam Captures Wall Cloud Shown On News3

The First Warn Weather Team was first to show a wall cloud near Platteville Friday evening on the Queen B Radio skycam. The skycam allowed the First Warn Weather Team to report the rotating wall cloud to both the La Crosse and Milwaukee National Weather Service offices. The severe thunderstorm associated with the wall cloud eventually went on to be a potential tornado warned for Lafayette County. The wall cloud in the video can be seen looking at the low, dark base of the thunderstorm. This lowering hangs from the cumulonimbus cloud. In this case the entire thunderstorm was rotating, known as “a supercell thunderstorm.” Supercell thunderstorms are capable of producing damaging winds, large hail, and in some cases, tornadoes. Meteorologist Alex Harrington explains that the tail cloud, or warm, humid inflow into the wall cloud gets pulled up into the rotating supercell’s updraft. Rain-cooled downdrafts, likely where the 2” diameter hail was confirmed near Platteville, can also rotate into the wall cloud, too. When this happens, it can help to draw the rotation in the supercell thunderstorm to the ground. Luckily, no tornado was reported with this storm.