Anvil Cloud Over Sicily

The cloud poses no danger to the building. Appearing to float above a remote monastery in Sicily , Italy , the anvil cloud 's shape shows several classic cloud features. The cloud itself is composed of millions of very small droplets of water and ice . The dramatically flat cloud bottom is caused by temperature falling in the lower atmosphere -- above a specific height water-saturated air is forced to condense out water droplets. The shape of the cloud middle is caused by the water-droplet-laden column of air being blown both upward and to one side. The anvil shape at the cloud top is likely caused by the upward air column reaching a stable atmospheric layer, likely the stratosphere , where horizontally moving air fans out the top of the cloud. The cumulonimbus cloud was captured out the front door of a house last year.