By Tim Binnall
A storm chaser in Mississippi managed to snap a photo of an incredibly rare and truly strange-looking weather phenomenon known as a 'Horseshoe Vortex Cloud.' The wondrous image (seen below) was reportedly captured by Stan Dorroh as he was passing through the community of Starkville last Tuesday evening. Keeping an eye on the sky as he drove, the seasoned storm chaser was stunned when he saw the remarkable meteorological formation overhead and quickly stopped his car to snap a picture. Dorroh's fast action was particularly fortuitous, he explained, since "the cloud dissipated probably less than a minute after I took the picture" and marveled that "it was gone" before he could even post the photo on social media.
To that end, the Facebook group North Mississippi Storm Chasers & Spotters later shared the image and offered an explanation for how the rather peculiar sight wound up appearing in the sky. According to the post, the formation arises "when a flat cloud, usually originating as a small cumulus cloud, moves over a column of warm, rising air called a thermal." This interaction pushes the middle of the cloud upwards and creates the horseshoe shape while also causing a slight spin. The group indicated that the unique formation is "one of the hardest clouds to find and one of the quickest to disappear," while amusingly stressing that it is a natural weather event that "has nothing to do with missiles, UFOs, and balloons."