Big thunderhead building west of the ranch

Towering cumulus clouds — we're moving the chickens to cover.

Live from Chickasha, OK

Right now at the ranch

Pulling live conditions from Chickasha, OK…

Field notes

This afternoon a cumulus cloud built up tall and fast over the western horizon. The top flattened into an 'anvil' shape — a clear sign of a thunderstorm in the next hour or two.

We herded the chickens under the lean-to, latched the duck-pen gate, and brought the laundry in. On a working farm, reading the sky is a real skill.

The learning

What's actually happening

How a thunderstorm builds

Warm wet air rises fast. As it goes up, it cools, and the water vapor turns into droplets — that's the cloud. The cloud keeps building UP through the cold layers until it hits a 'lid' in the atmosphere, which is why the top flattens into an anvil.

Lightning is just static electricity

Inside the cloud, tiny ice crystals and water droplets rub against each other and build up an electric charge — exactly like dragging your sock across a carpet. When the charge gets big enough, ZAP.

Words to know

Cumulus: Puffy, cotton-ball clouds. Fair-weather cumulus are small; storm cumulus grow huge.
Anvil: The flat top of a thunderhead, shaped like a blacksmith's anvil.
Forecast: A guess about what the weather will do, based on what it's doing now.

Your turn

Make your guesses

Enroll a kid to save guesses.

Wonder

Why does a farmer need to know the weather BEFORE it happens?

Pick one

If you see lightning and then count 5 seconds before hearing thunder, how far away is the storm?

Try this at home

▸Next time you see lightning, count slowly 'one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi…' until you hear thunder. Divide by 5 — that's how many miles away the storm is.

← All dispatches Rustic Roost Ranch →