Many of us look at the weather forecast or use the internet to get all the necessary updates on the weather conditions. However, if you are in a place where you don't have access to any of these resources and you need to know how the weather will change, you can look at the clouds to find the answer. Read on to learn how to predict the weather with clouds.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Recognizing the Types of Clouds
Step 1. Learn to recognize the different types of clouds
Study clouds and how they affect changes in climate. The basic types are: cirrus, cumulus, cloud and strata.
Step 2. Learn to recognize high altitude clouds
They are the clouds that form about 6000 meters above the sea level. They are usually composed only of ice crystals.
- Learn to identify and analyze cirrus clouds. Cirrus clouds are the most common high-altitude clouds. They are composed of ice and are thin, fluffy clouds, filamentous in shape due to strong winds. These light clouds usually spread across the sky. A cirrus, or a group of these clouds, can indicate the arrival of good weather. However, if they build up gradually and cover the sky, they could signal the arrival of a warm front. By observing the movement of the cirrus clouds, you can understand which direction climate change is coming from. When you see such clouds, you will often see a change in weather over a 24 hour period.
- Learn to recognize cirrocumulus. These clouds are rippled or have a grainy texture. When the cirrus clouds begin to turn into cirrocumulus, a storm may be on the way. These clouds are usually visible in winter and indicate good weather, but also cold. In tropical regions they could indicate the arrival of a hurricane.
- Learn to recognize cirrostrates. These clouds look like thin sheets that spread across the sky and can indicate the arrival of rain. Sometimes, they don't stand out from other clouds at all, although they give a pale, milky look to the sky. They are very thin and almost transparent, so through them it is possible to see the sun and the moon. Cirrostrata usually show up 12-24 hours before a storm or blizzard.
Step 3. Learn to recognize mid-altitude clouds, which form between 2000 and 6000 meters
They are mainly composed of water droplets, but they can also contain tiny ice crystals. Often they are similar to uniform veils between bluish and gray that cover the whole sky, or almost. In some cases, they are so dense that they obscure the sun, which therefore appears only as a bright area in the sky.
Learn to recognize the altocumulus. These are mid-altitude clouds, composed of water droplets, which have a gray, puffy and irregular appearance. You can recognize altocumulus clouds precisely because they form voluminous, round and small cloud layers. If you see them on a hot, humid, or sticky-looking morning, a thunderstorm will likely break out in the afternoon. A similar type of cloud, the other layer, often appears a couple of hours before the arrival of a warm front that brings rainfall
Step 4. Learn about low-altitude clouds, which form below 2000 meters
They are mainly composed of water droplets and only rarely contain ice crystals.
- Study the heaps. Cumulus clouds are often called "fair weather clouds". The base of each cloud is generally flat, while the top has rounded and puffy edges, often fluffy. The mounds look like white cotton balls or cauliflower heads and usually indicate nice, dry weather. However, these clouds are short-lived. When they generate rain, rainfall is in most cases light and short-lived.
- Learn to recognize cumulonimbus clouds. They are the clouds you see during thunderstorms. High winds can flatten the upper layer of these clouds, which will take on a shape similar to that of an anvil. Also called storm clouds, cumulonimbus clouds have a generally dark background. They can allow you to predict extreme weather conditions, such as heavy rain, hail, snow, thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes. The anvil usually points in the direction the storm is moving.
- Learn to recognize funnel clouds, which are clouds with a wider base and a conical top, which start from the base of a larger cloud. These are classic signs of a tornado coming. This meteorological phenomenon occurs when the clouds reach the ground, with a violently blowing wind that makes the leaves and dust lift off the ground.
- Learn to recognize the layers. They are grayish clouds that often stretch across the sky and obscure it with their gray color. They resemble fog that is not on the ground and therefore are responsible for the days we describe as "cloudy". If the bottom touches the ground, they turn into fog. The layers generate only a drizzle or a little snow, but it can also happen that they do not produce anything.
- Analyze the stratocumulus clouds, low, puffy and gray clouds. Most of them form rows and show the blue sky. It rarely rains when these clouds arise, although they can turn into nembostrates. A sky full of stratocumulus clouds indicates dry weather if the difference between day and night temperatures is only a few degrees. Sometimes, however, they can bring light rainfall.
- The nembostrati form a layer of gray and dark clouds, laden with rain, so dense that it completely blocks the sun. They often cause precipitation in the form of rain or snow, which can be quite long-lasting.
Step 5. Learn about other types of clouds
There are clouds that you will only rarely see. They do not fall into any category, but they can still give you useful information to predict the weather.
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Clouds that look like bulges hanging from the sky are called mammatus. These clouds are formed from sinking air and indicate a storm that is ending.
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The fog is made up of billions of microscopic water droplets. The word "fog" is used when the visibility on the surface is less than one kilometer. This phenomenon can indicate many climatic conditions, usually humidity, low pressure, cold temperatures and in some cases rain.
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Green clouds are often linked to bad weather conditions. The color is formed by the reflected light of vegetation, such as a cornfield or a rather dense forest. They often indicate the arrival of hurricanes and tornadoes.
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During the day, the nacreous clouds resemble pale cirrus clouds, while after sunset they are characterized by bright colors. They are formed at an altitude of 21-30 km. The physical constitution of these clouds is still unknown. However, the simultaneous manifestation of various chromatic diffractions, which generate more or less irregular patterns, indicates the presence of tiny particles, probably spherical and composed of ice.
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Noctilucent clouds also resemble cirrus clouds, but usually have a bluish or silver color variation. Sometimes they are orange or red and stand out in the night sky. According to the measurements made, their altitude varies between 75 and 90 km. Their physical composition is unknown, but it is believed that they are made up of fine particles of cosmic dust, probably covered with an outer layer of thin ice. These clouds are visible after sunset. They are greyish at first, then they become brighter and, over time, appear bluish, similar to oxidized silver.
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These clouds are characterized by a certain instability and are associated with air flows. They often indicate the arrival of a front, hot or cold.
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Method 2 of 2: Use the Acquired Information
Step 1. Start practicing using the information you have learned
Try to predict the weather for several days by observing the clouds and record your analyzes to check the probability of success. If you want, you can also take pictures.
Step 2. Research the climate of the area you live in
Knowing the climate in your area, based on the season, can help you predict the weather.
Step 3. Be patient
It takes some time to be able to predict the weather accurately, so keep a positive attitude.
Warnings
- Some clouds are associated with nuclear energy. In fact, not all clouds are formed in nature, some may even be made up of smoke. Don't risk unnecessarily. If you notice such clouds, avoid exposure.
- Should you ever see storm clouds, remember that safety comes first. Come into the house when it happens. Don't take risks just to observe climate change!
- Be especially careful when conical cumulonimbus clouds appear. Follow the prompts to get safe from a tornado.
