Original photo by 365 Focus Photography/ Shutterstock
When people draw clouds, the results are usually big, fluffy, white creations, known scientifically as cumulus clouds. Although there are dozens of different cloud types, this is the one we most often associate with the word “cloud.” Though they may not be as mesmerizing as lenticular clouds hovering over volcanoes or as puzzling as arcus clouds stretching for miles, there still are some facets of them that truly boggle the mind. Take, for instance, the weight of an average cumulus cloud. Although these collections of water vapor seem to float effortlessly, clouds are extremely heavy. In fact, according to the United States Geological Survey, the average cumulus cloud weighs 1.1 million pounds.
Oops, incorrect!
It's a fibA green sky is caused by massive storm clouds filled with rain droplets that shift the color spectrum of the sky to green. Although a green sky means a nasty storm is likely on its way — one that could produce a tornado — it doesn’t mean that a destructive twister is all but certain.
If a cloud floats, how do you weigh it? Well, the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research estimates that the average cumulus cloud is about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) long and 1 kilometer tall, or a billion cubic meters in volume. Meanwhile, the water density of a typical cumulus cloud is 0.5 grams (about a marble’s worth) per cubic meter. That means the average cumulus cloud holds 500,000,000 grams of water — or 1.1 million pounds. But while we have the equivalent of 100 elephants floating above our heads, the dryer, denser air beneath the cloud is even heavier, which is why those clouds can harmlessly float on by.
Numbers Don't Lie
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The highest-altitude cloud is called a ______ cloud.
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The highest-altitude cloud is called a noctilucent cloud.
Three of the world’s 10 sunniest cities are in Arizona.
The sunniest place in the world is Yuma, in the southwest corner of the extremely arid state of Arizona; the city receives 4,000 hours of sunlight every year. However, Yuma isn’t alone — nearby Tucson and the state’s capital, Phoenix, are also in the world’s top 10 sunniest places. Nearly the entire state exists in a rain shadow caused by mountains in nearby California. This means little moisture, which in turn means little cloud cover. All in all, it’s a pretty poor place to go cloud gazing.
Darren Orf lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes about all things science and climate. You can find his previous work at Popular Mechanics, Inverse, Gizmodo, and Paste, among others.
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