Why are some clouds GREY sometimes?

So why are clouds sometimes grey? Cloud bases are often grey as a result of the same scattering that makes them white. When light is scattered in a cloud it usually is sent back upwards, or out to the sides of the cloud, making the tops and sides of the cloud whiter than the base which receives less light.

What does it mean when a cloud is black?

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.

What are GREY clouds?

Altostratus clouds are gray or blue-gray mid-level clouds composed of ice crystals and water droplets. The clouds usually cover the entire sky. Weather prediction: Be prepared for continuous rain or snow! Nimbostratus clouds are dark, gray clouds that seem to fade into falling rain or snow.

Why do clouds turn different colors?

The color of a cloud depends primarily upon the color of the light it receives. The Earth’s natural source of light is the sun which provides ‘white’ light. The colors change as the wavelength increases from violet to indigo to blue, green, yellow, orange, red and deep red.

Can clouds be different colors?

However, clouds can actually come in many different colors. The different colors are dependent upon which colors are scattered when the light travels into the atmosphere. On the electromagnetic visible spectrum, blue is the shortest wavelength, so blue scatters more than the other colors and makes the sky look blue.

What does dark clouds bring?

Nimbus clouds get their intimidating look from the scattering of sunlight at their upper reaches and margins, and the absorption of sunlight by large water droplets, Again, those larger droplets absorb more sunlight, so a darkening cloud may indicate one in which water droplets are getting heavy enough to begin falling …

What are GREY clouds called?

Altostratus clouds are gray or blue-gray mid-level clouds composed of ice crystals and water droplets. The clouds usually cover the entire sky.

Why are storm clouds GREY?

It is the thickness, or height of clouds, that makes them look gray. The tiny water droplets and ice crystals in clouds are just the right size to scatter all colors of light, compared with the smaller molecules of air that scatter blue light most effectively. When light contains all colors, we perceive it as white.

Why are storm clouds black?

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.