How do clouds move

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. This determines how many miles they can travel in a day. Some clouds can form as low as 5, feet while others, like cirrus clouds, form at more than 30, feet, meaning altitude plays a large role in their creation.

Winds higher in altitude are stronger and help to determine weather patterns. The wind moves like a river in the sky. September 18, am No Comments. 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. The higher up you go in the sky, the faster the clouds move. This is because the wind is faster at higher heights above the surface. We sometimes get clouds that can travel huge distances, and cross the oceans. These clouds are following a particularly strong wind, called the jet stream.

Jet streams travel from warm parts of the world to colder parts, bring warm air with them that can rise temperatures. Clouds move because the wind is carrying the parcel of cloudy air along. Wind occurs at all levels of the atmosphere from the ground up to higher than a jumbo jet can fly. Sometimes there can be no wind on the ground, but cirrus clouds very high up can be seen moving because of the wind where they are.

Some clouds, like the lenticular clouds that form over hills, are stationary even when the wind is strong. Actually we get fooled into thinking nothing is moving. The droplets in the cloud are moving fast with the wind, but new cloud drops are always forming in the same place where the air is pushed up near the hill, so the front of the cloud appears stationary.

At the back of the cloud where the air comes down again away from the hill, the drops are evaporating back to vapour, so the back of the cloud seems to be stationary too. Jump to Navigation Skip to main content.