Michael Jackson Cloud

It was right after a thunderstorm on June 26, 2009, that Mammatus clouds appeared on the sky over New York City. Rolando Rivera and Felicita Diaz-Rivera were enjoying the light and the clouds through the window of their apartment near Amsterdam Avenue and 101st Street. These two felt like the clouds looked like Michael Jackson looking down from the sky. Jackson died the day before, on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The two took a picture and sent it to Fox 5 News. So many of Michael Jackson's fans were grieving his unexpected death. The view of the cloud right after his death had a meaning to them.

Mammatus clouds usually form during the warm months in the mid-west of America. The name Mammatus is derived from the Latin word mamma, which means udder. These lumpy clouds can cover a small or big area over the sky. They can last from about 10 minutes to a few hours. The recent New York cloud appeared to be very bright against the setting sun.