Refilling Clouds

Provided and copyright by: John Eckard
Summary authors & editors: John Eckard

This is how rain clouds get refilled. A tanker cloud comes along and dumps new rain in from above. The above photo was taken from Colorado National Monument, near sunset, on July 20, 2004. It actually shows virga -- rain falling from the stratocumulus deck at the top of the picture. Most or all of this wispy precipitation is quickly evaporated in the comparatively dry layers below the clouds.

Related Links:

• Cloud Boutique
• More About Cloud Types
• Weather Forecasting Cloud Atlas
• Cloud Atlas
• Colorado National Monument
• NOAA on Virga