Interesting feature in 1-min imagery

Monitoring the developing cu in the San Angelo CWA, we noticed some interesting evolution in the 1-min imagery. We noted some condensation blowing off of the cu/updrafts, as can be seen in the animation below.

We don't want to call them orphan anvils because they aren't reaching the level of an anvil/glaciation yet. We figure the updrafts are being inhibited by the stable capping layer noted in the Del Rio sounding (to the south) between 800 mb and 850 mb, before blowing off at that level. It is indicating to us that uprafts are begining to get there act together, and initation should be coming in the next hour or so as strong isolation continues.

Below is an image of the satellite-derived motion vectors. Note the blue vectors are tracking the cu, located at 925 mb. Additionally, a vector assocated with one of the blow-offs was sampled at 831 mb. This is where the capping inversion was located, confirming our suspisions that these early updrafts are indeed being capped by a stable layer. This also allows us to look at low-level shear. We have the metar at the surface idnicating 10 kts, a slightly veered and stronger (16 kts) sat-derived wind at 925 mb, and then an even stronger (26 kts) and more veered wind at 831 mb.