Tail Clouds

Wall Cloud with a Tail CloudPhoto credit: NOAA Photo Library, NOAA Central Library; OAR/ERL/National Severe Storms Laboratory
I was watching the news the other night and saw a picture of a tail cloud. As an amateur sky-watcher, I was very interested, because I had never seen anything like it before. To me, a tail cloud looks kind of like a horizontal tornado, forming just above the ground. Storm chaser Mike Hollingshead of Extreme Instability does a better job of explaining it -- with great photographs -- on his Storm Glossary/Info page. I now know what a "Beaver Tail" and the "Bear's Cage" are, too!