It’s Harmless, But a Vivid Cloud Vortex Swirled Over the Gulf Of Mexico on Monday

Chris Dolce

Published: April 21, 2020

Meteorologists typically use satellite imagery to track storms, but occasionally, it can give mesmerizing views of harmless weather conditions. Such was the case on Monday, when a small cloud swirl appeared over the Gulf of Mexico.

The thought of swirling clouds in the Gulf might bring to mind the approaching hurricane season, but this particular feature was of no concern for tropical storm development. It was an innocuous area of low clouds wrapping around a weak area of low pressure that developed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Click the play button below to see an up-close view of the swirl.

NOAA says vortices like this one are common in this region of the Gulf, just off the coast of Mexico's Veracruz state. But the agency noted that this one was "particularly well-defined."

NOAA Satellites

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This lovely #cloud #vortex is currently swirling over the #GulfOfMexico off the coast of the Mexican state of #Veracruz. Eddies and vortices like these are common in this area, but this one is particularly well-defined.

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The vortex of clouds persisted much of the day and into Monday evening. It dissipated overnight and could no longer be seen on satellite by Tuesday morning.

There are a couple of other things to point out in a zoomed-out satellite view of the swirl.

First, you'll notice a milky or hazy appearance in the loop below over the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent land areas of Mexico. That's smoke from agricultural fires burning in Mexico and Central America.

The second thing that jumps out is at the end of the loop when a big blow up of thunderstorms occurs over Mexico's Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains. Those thunderstorms formed late in the day and persisted near sunset, which is why the satellite image turns darker toward the end of the loop.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.