Storm Cloud: Changes with the Weather

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McDonald, R. E. (2011) Understanding the impact of climate change on northern hemisphere extra‐tropical cyclones. Climate Dynamics, 37, 1399-1425. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0916-x

Research gives us an indication of how storm activity may change in the UK in future, but these findings still demand further study. Additional research into long-term projections of winter storm activity and clustering will help provide deeper understanding and more confidence in these projections in the future. Efforts are also underway to further develop the ability to confidently attribute extreme weather events to climate change, allowing us to better understand how these effects may develop in the future. Continued development of forecast accuracy will increase confidence in our Met Office forecasts from seasonal forecasts, to decadal predictions and multi-decadal projections, giving the UK more time to prepare for the impacts of future storm events. Weather forecast maps are updated every 6 hours with the latest global model data from DWD ICON and NOAA-NWS GFS. To predict weather with clouds, you simply have to look at observable patterns like cloud size, cloud shape, altitude, vertical depth, and color shading within the cloud itself. Altostratus clouds are extremely common to see before the approach of a storm, and they’re responsible for creating beautiful red skies at dawn & dusk. At the end of the day, weather prediction is a sensory skill that anyone can develop through simple practice & observation.For this reason, it’s important to pay careful attention to what other types of cloud activity were happening before the stratus clouds appeared. Met Office (2019a) UK Climate Projections: Headline Findings (Version 2, September 2019). Met Office Hadley Centre, Exeter. Climate change is set to have a wide variety of impacts around the world, including altering the weather patterns we experience here in the UK. This article looks at what research currently tells us about storm activity in the UK, including recent observed trends and the changes we expect to see in the long-term future as a result of climate change. We will focus on low-pressure cyclones, most prevalent in the UK during autumn and winter, touching only briefly on the convective storms which tend to occur during summer. Recent trends

a b McConnell, Anita; Collins, Philip (2013). "Will the True Originator of the Storm Glass Please Own Up". Ambix. 53: 67–75. doi: 10.1179/174582306X93200. S2CID 170318913. This cloud-shaped weather predictor is such a fun little idea. Featuring a unique design that uses a chemical reaction to determine how the weather is shaping up, the Storm Cloud Weather Predictor is simply placed by a window, with the reaction informing you of any weather changes that happen. The context is important! 4. Altostratus clouds Altostratus clouds are similar to stratus clouds, except they form at a higher altitude in the sky. The entire process sometimes takes days to occur, which means you have lots of warning and time to anticipate the coming rain.Cirrocumulus clouds are high altitude clouds that form in tiny mottled clumps. They look very much like altocumulus clouds, except they’re noticeably higher in the sky. Most lightning strikes originate from the negative part of a cloud, however occasionally a strike can come fromthe positively charged top part - this is called 'positive lightning'. When positive lighting strikes it is forced to go around the negatively charged base of the cloud, this generally results in a more powerful lighting strike which shoots out sideways and sometimes can travel a mile more away from the storm cloud before connecting with the ground.Thenature of this type of lightning strikeis where get the term'a bolt from the blue'. Detecting lightning

They also proved to be much less accurate than originally thought, which contributed in no small part to their demise in the meteorological community. How Does a Storm Glass Work?So on my quest to learn ancient survival & awareness skills, I decided to investigate what clouds can tell us about the weather. Even though storm glasses didn't turn out to be the meteorological wonders they were once thought to be, they still remain fascinating and an interesting talking point among weather enthusiasts and even meteorologists today. When the clouds get large enough, they become cumulonimbus clouds and drop large amounts of rain, with possible hail, thunder & tornadoes in extreme cases. You can view live satellite images of the latest storms and wildfires, and explore weather forecast maps of wind, rain, temperature, pressure and more for yourlocation. Sources & Attribution

Beingable to detect the location of thunderstormsis of great importance as it is not only the lightning strike that is dangerous, but many other factors linked to thunderstorms. These include intense rain and tornadoes. If you see altocumulus clouds, keep watching for signs of increasing instability and active growth, especially in other cumulus clouds that could grow to become cumulonimbus. This is especially common if you live close to the ocean where stratus clouds are often associated with fair weather as the fog burns off through the day. If you want to know whether cirrus clouds are a sign of storms ahead, look for signs of increasing instability on the middle and lower cloud levels over the next 24-48 hours.As negative charge builds at the base of the cloud,the electrons near the ground's surface are repelled. This leaves the ground and the objects on it with a positive charge. As the attraction between the cloud and the ground grows stronger, electrons shoot down from the cloud cuttingthrough the air ataround 270,000 miles per hour. Lightning flashesand lightning strikes