Observing Conditions

Clouds offer many reliable indicators for the current weather conditions, and also some signs to help us predict the weather.

Stratus Drift

The drift of high clouds tells us about the wind at altitude.

Cumulus Drift

A very useful indicator for assessing the wind strength and direction at altitudes between terrain, up to and above cloudbase.

I watch the displacement of cumulus relative to their triggers. The amount and direction of drift tells us about the strength and direction of the wind.

With north wind, cumulus is pushed over the south side of a trigger. This can be observed by the position of the shade, which in this case will be on the south side of the trigger.

Over-development

Prevalent in the mid-to-late summer, over-development is the process of thermic activity developing into thunder storms. This can be observed by seeing large tall cumulus clouds developing into Cumulo-Nimbus giants. These giant clouds have dark bases, and look menacing. Be very conservative about flying in proximity to thunder storms. These conditions cause an initial in-flow towards the storm, and then an out-flow of wind with the rain.