In similar fashion as to what happened in Cape Town just a few months ago, the media was all over the skies again- but this time in New York. People were rushing out of hotels and apartments into the streets to take pictures of the rare mammatus clouds which at sunset lit up creating an unusual and ominus feel. Usually it is only those interested in weather itself that find themselves gazing at the sky in awe but it seems if there is one thing that gets the public's attention it's mammatus clouds. CNN even went as far as to broadcast a report on the clouds and seeing 'Michael Jackson' in the formations.

While the United States is no stranger to severe weather, these unusual clouds are still rare in the plains and even rarer in New York. Mammatus can form both on the bottom of dying thunderstorms as well as under alto-cumulus clouds given the environment is perfect for their formation.

For more on mammatus clouds be sure to check the article on Mammatus Clouds in Cape Town.