# Rain Clouds **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 15, 2000, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-clouds/37036 "2000-10-15T21:13:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sunrise\_4836](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@sunrise\_4836](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunrise_4836)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2000, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-clouds/37036/1 "2000-10-15T21:13:41Z")
Why are rain clouds dark? Rain is water. Water is light in color. Rain clouds are full of water. Therefore, rain clouds should be light. ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2000, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-clouds/37036/2 "2000-10-15T21:25:24Z")
\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>Therefore, rain clouds should be light.\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\>\> But they do not know it. Seriously, I think the color (degree of “greyness”) depends on droplet size: the bigger, the darker. Like the deep water is darker than shallow one. ---
**Author:** ![cheezit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@cheezit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheezit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-clouds/37036/3 "2000-10-16T02:34:43Z")
The darker the cloud, the more water is in the cloud and the less light can get through the cloud. I think. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-clouds/37036/4 "2000-10-16T02:40:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sunrise\_4836 \* > > \*\*Why are rain clouds dark? > Rain is water. Water is light in color. Rain clouds are full of water. Therefore, rain clouds should be light. \*\* First of all, water is NOTHING in color (as long as you’re not too close to Los Angeles). It is clear. But when you get a lot of it together, it looks blue, doesn’t it? Same principal with clouds. You get a lot of water vapour in the clouds and the density of the clouds compared to non-rain clouds and it’s like comparing the glass of water to the ocean. * * * Yer pal, [Satan](http://www.members.tripod.com/jmspoofe/sdmb/satan.jpg) \*TIME ELAPSED SINCE I QUIT SMOKING: Six months, one week, 40 minutes and 18 seconds. 7601 cigarettes not smoked, saving $950.14. Extra time with Drain Bead: 3 weeks, 5 days, 9 hours, 25 minutes. **I slept with a moderator!** \* ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-clouds/37036/5 "2000-10-16T02:58:09Z")
> [@](#): > > **Why are rain clouds dark?** For the same reason it’s dark at the bottom of the sea (and why deep water is dark blue at the surface): Water is an attenuator; it absorbs light.