PHOTOS: Shelf clouds spotted across Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – People are taking “shelfies” as shelf clouds have been spotted in and around Lincoln on Friday.

Channel 8’s Malcolm Byron explained how shelf clouds form:

As thunderstorms produce rain, that process will cool the air. The rain-cooled air generated in a thunderstorm will descend since it’s cooler than its surroundings. Once that hits the ground, it will spread outward radially away from the storm. 

In so doing, this will lift warm, moist air surrounding the storm. As that warm air rises, it will cool and condense, sometimes forming a cloud feature called a shelf cloud.

The shelf cloud feature essentially marks the leading edge between warm air flowing into the storm and the rain-cooled air flowing out of the storm. This edge is often referred to as an outflow boundary or gust front.

If you stand outside as a shelf cloud passes over, you’ll often feel a rush of wind along the arrival of the rain-cooled air.