Signs in the sky
Clouds are always a relatively reliable method of identifying weather conditions expecting to prevail from the next few minutes to a few hours ahead. There are 10 main types of clouds and several subcategories. Our purpose is not to learn to recognize all species, but mostly those that can warn us in a relatively accurate manner before any weather change. The most important are the following:
Cumulonimbus
The “King” of clouds, the most impressive cloud in the atmosphere with a height higher than Mount Everest and often extreme weather conditions. It is the famous storm cloud, which a seafarer can easily spot when looking at it from a distance, because it looks like a giant mushroom (see photo 1).
This cloud causes the famous thunderstorms, i.e. sudden weather change with strong winds, temperature drop, torrential rain along with lightning and less often hail or even tornadoes or water spouts. In our country these clouds are formed from mid-spring to mid-autumn, due to thermal instability while the rest of the months relate to cold fronts. In summer, they rarely form above the sea, however when we observe huge cloud towers rising in the afternoon over an area with land, north and west, it is advised to observe them closely, as in some cases they can move over the sea. When a Cumulonimbus is formed just above us, we can understand it as time goes by, as the base of the cloud will become darker. This means that the cloud grows in height and can develop a thunderstorm.