Day 149 of Wonder

Brooding clouds are always magical. Recently I became aware that despite their deceptive lightness, rain clouds can be excessively heavy. This broad, dense cumulus is not within my capacity to judge, but let's just surmise that it fits Peggy LeMone's calculations for a typical cloud. One kilometre long by one kilometre high would come in at a staggering 500,000,000 grams of water content. Basically 100 elephants. If you can't wrap your head around that idea, I'm not surprised. How does it stay afloat? It's weight only adds to its raw energy and stunningness. A true wonder of nature.

If you're interested in my sources of information check out this article How Much Does a Cloud Weigh? by Matt Soniak.