How fast do clouds move across the sky

How far and how fast do clouds travel? By Chief Meteorologist Brent Watts. Published: May. Share on Facebook. Email This Link. Share on Twitter. Share on Pinterest. Share on LinkedIn. Most Read.

Parents looking for answers after daughter found dead on Brush Mountain. Bedford woman charged with DUI hit-and-run. Share on facebook Facebook. Share on twitter Twitter. Share on linkedin LinkedIn. How Fast Do Clouds Move? Clouds During Rain Image via Pixabay user Free-Photos Because warm air has more moisture than cold air, when cold air passes through it, it drops in temperature to a point where the vapor condenses, causing it to rain.

Vertical vs. White Clouds. Jerry Faustino. As our Editor-in-Chief, Jerry is one of the founding members of Daily Science Journal and has about a decade of experience working in the field of quantum physics. If the air mass is cooler denser it will hoist its warmer, less dense, counterpart further into the atmosphere. In winter, when we experience fair and stable weather conditions, we may also experience thermal inversion. In this instance, the warmer air mass, which rises with altitude, traps the cooler air mass below.

If the dew point is reached, thin layers of clouds will form a visible boundary between the two masses. As previously explained, it is wind currents in the atmosphere that make clouds appear as if they are the ones doing the moving. Removing these wind currents could mean no weather. The cooler temperatures of the wind allow clouds to condense and create precipitation. Heftier, denser clouds those packed with moisture and ice crystals remain steadfast in the sky.

These fluffy, opaque clouds will withstand high wind speeds. Less dense, wispier clouds are no match for the wind and will splinter. How fast clouds can travel depends on where they originated. Wind direction and speed varies with altitude.

Clouds can travel for hundreds of miles in a day with the same speed as that of wind. For instance, if a cloud is at an altitude of 6, Ft. Still, not all clouds can be moved by the wind. Meteorologists usually use these clouds to predict weather patterns. However, the speed at which clouds move depends on the altitude at which they are formed.

Low clouds can form at approximately 5, Ft. High clouds such as cirrus form from 30, Ft. Generally, the wind increases in speed with height and undoubtedly near the surface. Those are the moments where we feel the wind gently blowing around us, but on looking at the sky above, find the puffs barely moving at all.

Naturally, clouds move horizontally. If you are a lover of nature like I am and love visiting the wild, you may notice a cloud on one side of the mountain, but after a few moments, see it on the opposite side. Clouds can also move vertically. We sometimes see a cloud hanging very low in the sky gradually rise higher in the sky.

In such scenarios, clouds tend to move upwards where the air is cooler.