The clouds are bigger this year.

I pay a lot of attention to the skies, day or night. And I've noticed that this summer, the clouds seem much larger than usual. I live in Michigan and big clouds arent rare due to the lake, but they just seem so much bigger this year. Maybe its due to the recent lack of solar activity. I've read that low sunspots equals more clouds.
Has anyone else made this observation? I did a thread search and didn't come up with anything.

Originally posted by Icon_xof
I pay a lot of attention to the skies, day or night. And I've noticed that this summer, the clouds seem much larger than usual. I live in Michigan and big clouds arent rare due to the lake, but they just seem so much bigger this year. Maybe its due to the recent lack of solar activity. I've read that low sunspots equals more clouds.
Has anyone else made this observation? I did a thread search and didn't come up with anything.

Really?

I observe clouds as a proffesion, and I havent noticed any difference in the clouds? You get some big and some small ones, sheets and cells....cirrus, cumulus, altocumulus etc etc

Not sure what you're getting at here....

You do know how clouds form right?

reply to post by OzWeatherman

Its been a while since I've read about how clouds are formed, but I have read recently that solar activity greatly affects cloud coverage. I was reminded of that while watching the clouds a few days ago. Maybe it's just my imagination, but I dont remember the clouds being as large as they have been this year. Especially in the middle of summer.

reply to post by Icon_xof


Well solar activity kind of does and kind of doesnt affect cloud coverage.

In summer, clouds tend to be larger (the convective clous, cumulus and cumulonimbus do), as the there is a higher chance of evaporation, due to warmer temperatures. Im assuming these are the types of clouds you are referring to when you say they are larger, as they are the main two that are affected by convection.

Can you post some images? It may help me grasp what you are getting at here....I will be happy to help you in anyway too

I think gamma rays also play a role in this, there was this thread here abut some Danish scientists saying such things..

Also here, where I live ofcourse, not one day of sun.
We have had about 3 weeks of fine sunny weather here all year...

On the basis that due to prevailing synoptics we've had less cumulonimbus development than we'd normally expect in summer, I'd have to say that this year in this part of England the clouds have been smaller than usual.

clouds form due to mixing. the larger the circulation the larger the clouds. air is turbulently pushed or drawn upward and cooled causing condensation. the sharp cauliform edges of the cumulus clouds that we see is due to drier air being entrained into the cloud.

to say that cloud size in general has increased as a whole would suggest that mixing has increased and that would suggest all sorts of things from the microscale to the mesoscale. not sure that there would be any way to support that statement scientifically, perhaps its a measure of personal preception?

reply to post by wx4caster


Do you have access to the convective analysis of the OPs region? I just want to see what kind of weather they are expecting

well i can post charts... i dunno about climo data considering that would be old, but here is the GFS...









typical weather for mature low and aligning vort max and accompanying UL Difluence and divergent quadrant of jetmax.

I noticed a huge cloud in the east about 6 days ago. out towards detroit. It looked thousands of feet tall from top to bottom and was moving north to south. it looked awesome