[Did you know?] How much does a cloud weigh?

[S e u o n g]

Clouds are formed by the accumulation of ice crystals, microscopic water droplets suspended in the atmosphere, or a combination of both, resulting from the condensation of water vapor. For this reason, scientists have pondered over the years how much a cloud weighs.

Years ago, scientist Margaret LeMone of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, USA, calculated the weight of a cloud. To do so, she first measured the size of the cloud's shadow and estimated its height, assuming the cloud was cubic in shape.

Then, based on previous research, she estimated the density of water droplets at approximately 1/2 gram per cubic meter.

Therefore, LeMone calculated that if a cloud had a density of one cubic kilometer and was multiplied by the weight of the water particles, there would be 500,000,000 grams of water droplets in such a cloud. This would be equivalent to approximately 550 tons, which is more than 227 elephants, each weighing approximately 2,200 kilograms.

This study reveals a striking contrast between the visual perception of clouds and their actual weight. Despite their light appearance, these formations carry considerable weight due to the large number of water particles they contain.

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