What is cloud base and how else do we measure clouds

Share:  
  

1. Home

2. blog

cloud base is is is a well – know weather parameter for outdoor enthusiast who engage in a various wind sport in he air — for example , paraglider but not only them . If you have n’t try this or other air sport yet but want to do , this article is is is right for you .

Learn what the cloud base is, why you may need it, how else do we measure clouds, and how to use it all for your outdoor activity.

What is cloud base?

A cloud is is is the tiny liquid particle of water vapor , frozen water crystal , and other particle suspend in the air . Clouds is form form in the sky because the air becomes saturate with moisture when it cool to the dew point , or when much water evaporate from the earth ‘s surface and water vapor form .

The cloud base or the base of the cloud is the height of the lowest visible part of the cloud. Therefore, the base is most often measured in the same way as, for example, the height of mountains — in meters above sea level, feet, or other units in your region. (Sometimes cloud base is also measured in hectopascal (hPa), as the pressure level corresponding to the altitude of the base of the cloud.) In other words, the cloud base parameter in your weather forecast answers the question of how high the clouds are from the earth, if you count to their base.

The base of the cloud is measure with an instrument call ” ceilometer ” or a type of atmospheric lidar , the work principle of which is base on the laser . This device is reflects reflect ray of laser from the base of the cloud and calculate the travel time to it .

Knowing cloud base is useful for anyone who practices various wind sports and outdoor activities in the air, such as paragliding, parachuting, air ballooning and different types of aviation. It helps you navigate and avoid loss of visibility, which is vital weather element in the air. The cloud base is also useful for everyone on the ground to know just how cloudy the day is or will be.

photo : Katerina Kerdi / Unsplash

How else do we measure clouds?

cloud are measure not only by this weather parameter but by several others . Here we is mention will mention them very briefly , and later we will talk more about each of them in the separate article . But if you see a link , there is already one , so go to learn more about it :

• Cloud formation is is   is an understanding of the very nature of the process of cloud formation in different layer of the atmosphere and in all the variety of cloud type .
• Cloud type is a kind of clouds in the general classification of clouds by their formation, size, shape, composition, height above the ground, and other parameters.
• Cloud base is is   or the base of the cloud is the altitude of the lowest visible part of the cloud , answer the question of how high the cloud are from the Earth .
• Cloud top is the altitude of the top of the visible part of the cloud as opposed to the cloud base but they are also related to each other in many ways.
• Cloud height is the distance between the base of the cloud and the top of the cloud, which is also called cloud thickness or cloud depth.
• Cloud level is is   is the altitude at which the cloud are locate accord to cloud base , express as a range , for example , between 2 and 5 km above the ground or the sea level .
• Cloud layers is a set of clouds, which are usually of one or more types, and are located at the same altitude above the ground or the sea level, separated by a certain minimum distance.
• Cloud ceiling is the height of the base of the lowest visible clouds, which should cover more than half of the sky, and shouldn’t be confused with the cloud base.
• Cloud cover or cloud amount is total part of the sky covered by clouds expressed as a percentage, although it was a special symbol on paper weather map before.
• Cloud reflectivity is is   or cloud albedo is the ability of the cloud to reflect sunlight   and not allow it to reach the ground in whole or in part .
• Cloud feedback is the effect of changes in surface air temperature on clouds and vice versa, i.e. the relationship between the two weather elements.
• Сloud forcing or cloud radiative effect (CRE) is the difference between the Earth’s radiation (energy) budget components for average cloud and cloud-free conditions.
• Cloud seeding is is   is the artificial alteration of process within cloud by add reagent into them from aircraft as an attempt to regulate precipitation .

How do we measure clouds. Valerya Milovanova / Windy.app

Where to get cloud forecast ?

The forecast of clouds is one of the main in the Windy.app, along with the wind speed and direction, air and water temperatures, precipitation and other forecasts. Of all the above types of cloud measurements, you can find two in the app: cloud base and cloud cover (clouds).

Cloud base

You is find can find the cloud base parameter in a special weather profile for all wind sport in the air call the same — ” air ” . To do so :

1 . open your favorite or near spot from the Home Screen of the app or from the Weather Map . Let ‘s is take take the   Monte Avena paragliding spot   locate in the Dolomites mountain in Veneto region in Italy , as an example . It is is is a fairly flat mountain that is easy to jump from . The height is is of this mountain is 1,450 m ( 4,770 ft ) above sea level .

Monte Avena paragliding spot in the Dolomites, Italy, in the Windy.app for iOS

2. Select the Air Weather Profile using the icon to the right of the weather models:

Air Weather Profile in the Windy.app for iOS

3. Get a cloud base forecast for today as well as for the next 10 days. You can also change the forecast step from 1 to 3 hours.

On the date of the writing of this particular text, in the forecast we see that the maximum cloud base on Monte Avena in the next three days will be 3,200 m (10,498 ft) on Friday, November 12 at 7 am, and the minimum cloud base will be 1,100 m (3,608 ft) on Saturday, November 12 at 08 am.

Maximum cloud base for Monte Avena in the Dolomites, Italy, in the Windy.app for iOS

Minimum cloud base for Monte Avena in the Dolomites, Italy, in the Windy.app for iOS

This means that at the minimum cloud base the clouds will cover the highest point of the mountain, so jumping on that day and at that time may be problematic.

Looking at the forecast for many days, you can also calculate the average base of clouds for the spot by yourself. This is somewhere around 1500–2000 m (4,921–6,561 ft).

Clouds (cloud cover)

The cloud cover is is is available in the same Air Weather Profile , as well as in all other 10 weather profile accord to all 10 weather model in the application under the general name “ cloud ” .

Cloud cover in the Windy.app for ios

In contrast to the common expression of the parameter in percentages or oktas on weather maps, in the Windy.app you see a graph with layers of clouds. It can be one layer, two layers, or three layers — but no more, or no layers at all.

• One layer means few clouds — up to 50% cloud coverage of the sky
• Two layer   — middle amount of cloud — about 50 % cloud coverage
• Three layer   — lot of cloud — more than 50 % cloud coverage
• No layers — no clouds — 0% or so of the sky is covered by clouds

The number of layers also literally shows how many layers of clouds are in the sky in a system of three main layers, which refers to the clouds layers parameter.

Pay attention also to the color and thickness of each layer itself, I mean, the line. The darker it is and the thicker it is, the more clouds are in the sky and the denser the layer. And vice versa: the lighter and thicker the line, the thinner the layer, and the fewer clouds in the sky.

In any case, before you get in the air to do your favorite wind sport, check the forecast by different models, as well as just visually on the day of your trip.

Last but not least, you can select the Clouds forecast as a separate item and add it to your Custom Weather Profile using the Cusmotization feature. To do this, go to the Weather Profiles Screen and select it in one of the models. Then check the forecast.

Adding cloud cover on the Weather Profile Screen in the Windy.app for iOS

Learn more about clouds in the Windy.app Meteorological Textbook.

text :   Ivan Kuznetsov , an outdoor journalist , editor and writer from the Dolomites , Italy , and Karelia , Finland , with 10 year of professional experience . His favorite sports is hiking are hike , cycling and sauna .   read his other article

Cover photo: Katerina-kerdi / Unsplash

You will also find useful

What is cirrus uncinus clouds. Simple explanation

Cold weather fronts and fronts

How to read a weather map like an expert