How to Predict the Weather by Studying Clouds

You can accurately predict the weather for an impending 24-hour period if you keep in mind several cloud formations. Each type of cloud forms in its own way, and each brings its own set of conditions:

CIRRUS CLOUDS
From the Latin for curled, these clouds look feathered, like an outstretched horse's tail, and they form high in the sky, at up to 40,000 feet. If the wind is coming from the northeast, east, or south, expect rain in the next 24 hours. With a wind from the southwest, west, or north, it will be clear and calm.

STRATUS CLOUDS
Gray and low, stratus clouds always portend foul weather. With winds from the northeast or the south, count on heavy rain. If the wind is coming from any other direction, it will be overcast with a slight drizzle.

CUMULUS CLOUDS
Cumulus clouds look like cauliflower, and they're generally as tall as they are wide. They form on sunny days, and it never rains with them overhead. They are low-flying, fluffy white shapes projected against an azure sky.

CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS
Morphing from cumulus clouds, these ominous, dark clouds are much larger and more vertical. Mustering into towering black masses, they can form the squall line of a cold front and are topped with thunderheads shaped like anvils. Expect wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.