Panoramic photo of altostratus opacus mammatus virga cumulonimbogenitus with towering cumulus clouds on the right. The whole cloud with a complicated name is actually a decaying anvil from cumulonimbus cloud that formed to the NW of the Maltese Islands. It only produced a drizzle on land. The name altostratus opacus was applied because the cloud lacked special features and was thick enough to blot out the sun completely whilst pouch-like and drop stirs of rain were observed on parts of the cloud cover. The first thumbnail is a photo of the still cumulonimbus anvil approaching the Maltese Islands. The weather sounding on the second thumbnail showed an unstable air profile along with strong WNW winds at all levels of the atmosphere helping the cloud to move quickly towards the SE and also to decay quite rapidly due to the dry air once its surface moisture was cut off. The third thumbnail is the visible satellite image as the time showing the isolated nature of the decaying storm cloud whilst the fourth thumbnail shows that the trigger was a cold pool of air remaining stationary above the Maltese Islands.