What does it mean when a cloud is dark?

A: Very dark looking or black clouds are probably those that contain a lot of rain in them and part of a thunderstorm, McRoberts adds. “In general, the severity of a storm is related to cloud height, which is why dark clouds are usually an indicator of bad weather.

Do clouds always mean rain?

Stratus clouds always mean either rain or snow. Sometimes the precipitation is a light mist or drizzle. “Stratus” means “layer,” and these clouds often look like a blanket covering the sky. Stratus clouds are grayish because they are so full of water or ice crystals.

Why are clouds dark with no rain?

And, the more clouds get bunged up with aerosol particles on which drops can form on, the higher the concentrations of cloud droplets are in them, and the smaller they are as a result. Smaller drops cause more sunlight to be reflected back into space, and when that happens, the bases look darker.

Why are thunderstorm clouds dark?

Clouds are made up of countless microscopic water droplets. Those droplets scatter incoming light from the sun so that only a small fraction of it reaches our eyes. The thicker the cloud, the darker it appears.

Why does the sky turn gray?

A: On hazy days, large particles in the air make the sky appear gray or even white, McRoberts explains. “These larger particles tend to scatter more wavelengths of light in the color spectrum,” he says. This phenomenon is called Mie scattering. To sum it up, the way light is scattered determines the color of the sky.”

Why is it cloudy but no rain?

Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals. They are very light and are kept suspended in the air by winds aloft. If the air is very dry, rain evaporates as it descends, before it reaches the ground. Rain only descends from the clouds when the clouds get too heavy to hold more moisture.

What clouds give us rain?

Nimbus clouds can also bring rain, snow, or hail. The suffix “nimbus” or the prefix “nimbo” is used to refer to two different kinds of rain clouds, cumulonimbus, and nimbostratus. While these two forms of clouds are usually said to be rain clouds, rain can also come from other types of clouds, though more rarely.