13 Amazingly Fun Facts About Clouds You Never Knew You Needed to Know!

1. Cirrus Clouds: The Greenhouse Huggers

Cirrusly speaking, these feathery high-flyers are actually cunning climate culprits, diligently giving Earth a clingy greenhouse group hug, keeping us warm – perhaps a bit too warm: Cirrus clouds, though they appear wispy and innocent, cover 25% of the planet's surface and trap outgoing infrared radiation, contributing to the greenhouse effect and possibly causing global temperatures to rise in a self-reinforcing loop of increasing cloud cover and warming conditions.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Contrails: Sky Graffiti's Warming Effect

Next time you're stuck behind a plane and its cloud-emitting tush, remember: these exhaust clouds are more than just sky graffiti! Contrails, which are actually "condensation trails," form when water vapor freezes around small particles from airplane exhaust, looking like clouds but actually constituting a type of visible air pollution. Unsettlingly, contrail clouds have a warming effect on the climate and are predicted to triple in their impact by 2050, ultimately contributing more to atmospheric warming than all the carbon dioxide produced by planes since the dawn of aviation.
Source => science.org

Did you know that you can easily measure the distance of a lightning strike by counting the seconds between its flash and the thunder boom? Discover this shockingly fun party trick and more!

=> Fun Facts about Thunderstorms

3. Ice Fog: Snow Crystal Ninja Fog

Have you ever dreamed of a winter wonderland where the fog is so cold, it's made of snow crystals? And we're not talking about life on Hoth with Wampa and Tauntauns: No, this marvel exists right here on earth, shivering its way into the Alaskan and Canadian records as ice fog. Brace yourselves, as this frigid phenomenon materializes when temperatures drop low enough to transform benign water droplets into icy crystal ninja fog!
Source => scijinks.gov

4. Clouds: Aerial Cotton Candy Giants

Imagine clouds as the world's fluffiest, largest cotton candy, only they'll leave you drenched instead of sticky: These massive aerial sugar puffs weigh in at approximately 500,000 kilograms (1.1 million pounds) per cubic kilometer, yet they still defy gravity and float because their density is lower than the surrounding dry air!
Source => usgs.gov

5. Cumulonimbus Clouds: Atom Bomb Competitors

Heard of a heavyweight champ packing a punch? Cumulonimbus clouds could give them a run for their money, as they effortlessly hoard enough energy to make atom bombs look like water pistols: These natural sky behemoths, also known as thunderclouds, reach heights of over 39,000 feet and are the sole cloud variety capable of producing thunderstorms, casually wielding the equivalent energy of 10 atom bombs.
Source => metoffice.gov.uk

6. Noctilucent Clouds: Nightlife Stars

When clouds decide to hit the nightlife, they go all out: noctilucent, or night-shining clouds, reside in Earth's mesosphere, at heights of 76 to 85 km (249,000 to 279,000 ft), glowing too faintly for daylight detection but truly sparkling during the summer months from latitudes between ±50° and ±70°. Up there, bored methane molecules party with ice crystals, generating sky-high water vapor that either builds new noctilucent clouds or jazzes up the existing ones.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Anvil Clouds: Zeus's Lightning Makers

When Zeus gets moody, his favorite anvil gets a little feisty: Anvil clouds, those flat-topped sky dwellers, are known to produce lightning that packs a powerful punch, reaching up to 30 miles from its origin, even on a sunny day. Arming these heavenly hammers with a surprise called "virga," they unleash streaks of snow that evaporate in mid-air, like a literal cold shoulder coming from above.
Source => actionnews5.com

8. Clouds: Mother Nature's Sunscreen

Sunbathing with Mother Nature's sunscreen: As clouds frolic above, don't be dismayed by their game of hide-and-seek with the sun, for they are our saviors in the sky; acting as a protective shield against harmful UV rays and keeping our skin safe from overexposure to the sun's mischievous glare.
Source => thoughtco.com

9. Jellyfish Clouds: Microburst Partygoers

Ready for a celestial swim? Look up at the sky and spot those jellyfish clouds, just don't forget your microburst repellent: Also known as virga clouds, these whimsical sky-jellies can actually cause dangerous microbursts affecting planes and aircraft, all thanks to the rainfall transitioning back into water vapor, cooling the air and causing severe turbulence.
Source => metoffice.gov.uk

10. Cirrus Clouds: Unicorn's Frozen Breath

Cirrus clouds are like nature's cotton candy up in the sky, delighting us with their fluffy whimsy, often mistaken for unicorn's frozen breath: The real scoop is that they can be found at dizzying heights of 45,000 feet, composed purely of ice crystals, and they're Mother Earth's way of saying, "Get ready, a warm front is coming!"
Source => boatus.com

11. Mammatus Clouds: Gentle Sky Fashionistas

When Mother Nature plays peek-a-boo from the heavens, her choice of attire often includes the peculiar pouch-like ensemble of mammatus clouds: A rare breed that forms in sinking air, these curious clouds make their appearance after a thunderstorm's tantrums but don't worry, their bark is worse than their bite with no tornadoes on their resume! Though seemingly larger-than-life in a cloud fashion show, these gentle giants have an extended runway presence due to their sinking air carrying large drops and snow crystals, meaning their eventual evaporation takes a little more time than their fellow fluffy counterparts.
Source => ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu

12. Asperitas Clouds: Wavy Rave Dancers

Clouds partaking in a wavy rave: The asperitas cloud formation, known for its trippy, wavelike patterns, was only officially classified in 2017, making it the World Meteorological Organization's first new cloud addition in 30 years, and it's now grooving across skies globally.
Source => washingtonpost.com

13. Morning Glory Clouds: Giant's Vape Session

If you've ever pondered what a colossal smoke ring might look like from a mythical giant's vape session, the skies of Australia's Gulf Country have got you covered: The Morning Glory cloud, a cigar-shaped phenomenon that can stretch up to 1,000 kilometers long, graces northwestern Queensland during the southern hemisphere's spring season, enthralling hang gliders from around the globe who try to ride the rapid thermals in front of these heavenly wonders.
Source => sciencealert.com