Build a cloud
Lift a pocket of moist air. As pressure falls, it expands and cools. Find the height where droplets start to appear.
Raise the parcel above its estimated cloud base. Try adding moisture.
Lift a pocket of air
Keep lifting. Estimated cloud base: 1253 m.
Before saturation, expansion cools the parcel quickly. After condensation begins, released latent heat slows the cooling.
The science behind the scene
Water vapor is invisible. A cloud becomes visible when cooling air reaches saturation and water condenses into tiny droplets. This parcel model uses approximate cooling rates: 9.8°C per kilometre before saturation and 6°C per kilometre afterward. Real cloud formation also depends on mixing, particles and the surrounding atmosphere.
National Weather Service · Cloud basesRaise the parcel above its estimated cloud base. Try adding moisture.
Complete the experiment above to unlock.