Bizarre Mammatus clouds have graced the sky over China

An exciting and unusual meteorological phenomenon known as Mammatus Clouds has recently graced the skies of China's Hubei Province.

"Mammatus" are formed when moist warm air that rises and cools condenses into water droplets at a certain temperature, which usually corresponds to a strictly defined height. As the water droplets grow, an opaque cloud forms. However, under certain conditions, cloud pockets may form containing large drops of water or ice, which fall into clean air as they evaporate. Such pockets can occur in turbulent air near thunderstorms.

Vymoobraznye clouds are rare, mainly in tropical latitudes.