Fair Weather Cumulus Clouds – What Are They & What Do They Mean?

Do you know what fair weather cumulus clouds are?

Simply put, they are the clouds that generally come with good weather.

But there’s a bit more to learn about fair weather clouds, including:

• How high they are
• How fair weather clouds form
• What they look like

Fair weather cumulus clouds are the type of clouds we want to see when we’re planning to go on a picnic or go fishing…. and the kind we might get tired of if we’re in a drought!

Fair Weather Cumulus Cloud Formation

So, how do fair weather cumulus clouds form?

They tend to pop up in the sky when the overall atmosphere is relatively stable.

The clouds themselves will appear where vertical air currents called thermals rise from the ground into the lower atmosphere.

Fair weather cumulus clouds have flat bases and usually don’t grow very tall. That’s because the atmosphere doesn’t have enough convection (lift) to bring the tops up very high.

Fair weather cumulus clouds are common on warm days.

Sometimes Fair Weather Cumulus Clouds Can Get Nasty…

Not all fair weather cumulus clouds stay nice and quiet.

When a cumulus cloud manages to grow tall in height, that means the atmosphere has some lift, and that’s a possible sign that a storm might be in the works.

In very hot places like Florida, it’s common for summer morning fair weather cumulus clouds to grow into violent afternoon thunderstorms. In Florida, summer mornings are often very warm and humid, with morning lows between 75 and 80 degrees on the warmest mornings. Once the heating of the day occurs and the atmosphere gets juicy, the storms fire up — and those morning fair weather cumulus clouds have become 30,000-foot-tall cumulonimbus clouds which mean serious business.

This type of situation is common in many parts of the country where the weather gets really warm and humid, especially in the summer when weather conditions are often ripe for thunderstorm activity.

Enjoying Fair Weather Cumulus Clouds

Fair weather cumulus clouds are a really beautiful sight. They’re the types of clouds that I like to find shapes in.

You might know what I’m talking about. Some fair weather cumulus clouds remind me of cats, dogs, pigs, a 45-year-old couple enjoying a cruise in a classic 2-tone ’82 Camaro. Well… maybe I haven’t seen that specific shape, but I think you get the idea!

Fair weather cumulus clouds are the kind of cloud that imaginative people can find all kinds of familiar shapes in.

Fair weather cumulus clouds also tell you that, at least for the moment, it’s safe to enjoy the outdoors without immediate fear of rain, lightning, or damaging winds.

I also like fair weather cumulus clouds because they can be very photogenic.

Those puffy, white, clumpy white little clouds against a deep blue sky, rolling hills, yellow cornfield, or deep green stand of trees make a great scene to snap a shot with my camera.

Beautiful fair weather cumulus clouds above a lovely landscape is also a wonderful inspiration for a painter to capture a beautiful, mild day on canvas for a lifetime!