How to Read Clouds to Forecast Weather

You don’t have to have a degree in meteorology to predict the weather. If you’ve spent a lot of time outdoors, you’ve developed a sense of what is coming by looking at the sky. A basic understanding of clouds will help you formulate a local forecast. Here’s what to look for.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 

   Cirrocumulus clouds are high altitude 16,500 to 45,000 feet white clouds made up of ice crystals. They indicate that fair weather is imminent.

2. 

   Cirrus clouds also fly high and are made of ice. They are thin and wispy. These clouds usually predict fair weather until they begin to thicken due to a drop in barometric pressure.

3. 

   Cirrostratus clouds are also ice at high altitude. They sometimes cover the entire sky and are sometimes so thin that you can see the sun or even the moon through them. These clouds can produce a halo effect. The thicker the clouds, the greater is the chance of experiencing rain or snow within 24 hours. If some middle altitude clouds follow them, you can count on precipitation.

4. 

   Altocumulus clouds are also middle layer clouds. Their bases form between 6500 and 23,000 feet. As they build they sometimes predict afternoon thunderstorms

5. 

   Altostratus clouds are gray with a blue tinge. These fly at a middle layer and predict storms.

6. 

   Stratus clouds are low layer clouds. If they are at ground level, it’s called fog. They are more likely to produce a drizzle than heavy rain. In coastal California, they can last for weeks without any precipitation and are known as the marine layer. They can sometimes cover the entire sky.

7. 

   Stratocumulus clouds are low, gray, and lumpy. They may not cover the entire sky and simply gather in patches or rows. They seldom produce rain

8. 

   Nimbostratus clouds are dark gray and are a harbinger of rain.

9. 

   Cumulus clouds are the ones we drew in grade school. They look like fluffy cotton balls and begin at about 4000 feet. These clouds usually indicate fair weather.

10. 

    Towering Cumulus clouds grow when the air is unstable, producing strong convection currents. As these clouds billow upward into the middle altitudes they predict showers and thunderstorms.

11. 

    Cumulonimbus clouds are the classic thunderheads, with a flat base and anvil top. They can extend up to 60,000 feet especially over deserts. They predict thunderstorms, lighting, rain, possible hail, flash floods and tornadoes.

[Sapphira]

on 9/9/2008 Awesome article! I will be adding this to my favorites.

[ellischristina]

on 9/8/2008 I really enjoyed this article. The pictures are awesome in themselves and as a teaching aid. It's interesting how the shape, altitude, content, density, and color have a bearing on what type of weather you can expect. 5*'s Thanks! I added it under my favorites.

[amylaine]

on 9/8/2008 Great info, this will be saved as a favorite.

[SeventhSibling]

on 9/8/2008 The pictures were a tremendous value. Great write-up!

[SueanneD]

on 9/8/2008 Fantastic pictures. They really add to the article.