The power of Clouds

Clouds are fun for spotting shapes, but they can also be useful for weather forecasting, and Sailors can use clouds to stay high and dry.

Nowadays we have all kinds of devices to plan our passage and predict the weather, but when technology fails, it is handy to have some basic knowledge of older methods.

Generally, the more clouds = the higher the chance of bad weather; and, if they appear to be moving, then the change in climate will be faster. You can also tell which way a storm is travelling by the direction the clouds are pointing. Opacity is also a factor - thicker clouds mean more moisture, meaning a high

chance some of that moisture will fall on you!

When the sun heats the land, air rises and forms Cumulus clouds, and cooler air over the water comes to replace it – this is known as the ‘sea breeze’- but, when cloud cover stops the sun from heating the land, this breeze drops dramatically.

There is a lot more to learn - colour, height and shape of clouds all contribute to the weather- BH Marines Day Skipper Theory Course covers it in more detail – Why not see for yourself?

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