I mean, why don’t they just disperse into a general fog? What holds the water droplest together? I was watching some high-atitude contrails, and they seemed to disperse in about 60-80minutes-why don’t low altitude slouds do the same?
I live at a very high altitude - 11,200 feet. We get clouds that roll down the valley that are below us. And only about 1/4 mile away or so. Or they just roll right over us. So we are in the cloud. Happens a lot.
When they roll over us it’s just like being in a thick misty fog. That’s pretty much what they are.
Why don’t they disperse more? Hmmm. They do seem to have clear cut ‘edges’ when you look at them from a distance, but up close and personel, they don’t.
Just my observation.
Hiking in the Smoky Mountains has given me many opportunities to walk in the clouds. The main thing I’m impressed with is how much cooler they are than the surrounding air. I wonder why they don’t rain more than they do. And the distinction from fog is hard to draw. Of course, in the Smokies, which are named from that upflow of mist from the vegetation, it’s hard to tell what’s a cloud, mist, fog, or even smoke. (You can smell the smoke when that’s what’s involved, but it rarely is smoke.)
But standing on the observation deck at Clingman’s Dome, you can watch actual clouds as they blow across the tops of the mountains. Excellent experience.
Did any of you see the photo made from that oil tanker in the Atlantic that had Isabel approaching on the left? I got it in email from my daughter, so I kept it. Local news/weather showed it on the 6:00 segment. That was some awesome photography!