Home >> Science & Nature >> Nature

How to Detect Moisture in Rain Clouds

For the untrained citizen, moisture in rain clouds must be detected from the ground. Knowledge of cloud types and visualization are the key ways to detect clouds that are likely to produce precipitation. The cloud vapor will become rain drops when drops bump into other drops to become heavy enough to fall. A cloud may look "heavy" with rain, but not produce rain. One cause of rain is warm air rising and hitting a thick cloud. The coldness of the cloud cools the warm air, resulting in precipitation.

Instructions

- 1
  Look for thin, wispy cirrus clouds. Observe which direction the clouds are moving to discover which direction clouds will be coming from. Look for dark clouds in that direction to know if it will be a good day to search for rain clouds.
- 2
  Look for thin, sheetlike cirrostratus clouds, which often cover the entire sky but do not blot out the sun or moon. Watch the clouds carefully for the next 12 to 24 hours, because these clouds often appear before rain or snow.
- 3
  Look for thick, sheetlike altostratus clouds that blot out the sun or the moon. Look for thick dark sections in this type of cloud, because these frequently indicate the coming of heavy rain or snowfall.
- 4
  Check for alto cumulus clouds on a warm humid morning. Look for small gray puffs often covering a large portion of the sky. Expect rainfall by the afternoon if you find them.
- 5
  Look for nimbostratus clouds which are dark gray with little contrast, and are often frequently responsible for continuous light to moderate rainfall. Do not confuse this type of cloud with the lower and more lightly colored stratocumulus clouds which look heavy with rain but do not usually produce rain. Know that stratocumulus clouds often turn into nimbostratus clouds.
- 6
  Watch out if you ever see a cumulonimbus cloud. Look for large clouds which are anvil shaped and dark, because these clouds are often responsible for thunderstorms or even tornadoes. Check the cloud to find the point of it, because these clouds usually point in the direction that the storm is moving.

Nature