Irish Clouds

FISMA

Why are clouds in Ireland so low? Has anyone ever been to the states or the continent? The clouds abroad are so much higher.

I never studied weather, however, I reckon this has something to do with the dew-point? Also, I observed the clouds in all cases at sea level and it is not an optical illusion.

Anyone that has ever landed at Shannon knows the clouds hit you at the very end, almost on the runway. Other places your through the clouds for a while.

Any weather buffs or meteorologists out there?

Hal1

This is what happens when you live on an island, right next door to the Atlantic.

Danno

Got to do with mountains... Ireland's mountains range from 500m to 1000m generally and can only shove that moisture up so high... in the USA you've got the Rocky Mountains all along the west coast to drive them clouds way up high. Around Seattle in the very NW of the states has a very similar cloud scape to us... this is before they hit the mountains.

up for anything

My boys flew back from Paris today. They said that as they approached Ireland the clouds outlined the coastline. Where there was land it was covered in cloud but the sea inlets were clear.

Su Campu

up for anything wrote: »

My boys flew back from Paris today. They said that as they approached Ireland the clouds outlined the coastline. Where there was land it was covered in cloud but the sea inlets were clear.

That's a normal situation for this setup - the heat of the day over the land causes convection and clouds, over the (relatively) cold sea, this convection is absent. At night, the land cools, the convection stops, and the clouds dissipate.

The reason Ireland may have more low cloud is purely down to the combination of temperature and moisture in the lower troposphere....rich moisture from the nearby ocean coupled with relatively cool temperatures leads to high relative humidities, and hence low cloud bases.

As a rule of thumb, to calculate what the cloudbase height will be (in feet above ground level, agl) for convective clouds (cumulus, etc.), take the difference between surface temperature and dewpoint and multiply by 400.

eg. Temperature 15.3, Dewpoint 11.5

Cloudbase = (15.3 - 11.5) x 400 = 1,520 ft

up for anything

Saw some really strange clouds this evening while crossing the toll bridge in Waterford. Put together they looked like an airplane. I've never seen a cloud that looks like it is vetical. It looked like a lower case 'l'. Forming the tail of the plane was a set of clouds that were in a whirlwind shape but formed by thin horizontal layers. The whole 'plane' was lit a beautiful red/orange by the setting sun. I was really annoyed that I hadn't any space on my phone to take some photos but didn't want to delete any of the ones I had taken of a seal that had come in very close to shore on Bunmahon beach. Looking back it was a wrong decision. I really need a camera.

thetonynator

up for anything wrote: »

Saw some really strange clouds this evening while crossing the toll bridge in Waterford. Put together they looked like an airplane. I've never seen a cloud that looks like it is vetical. It looked like a lower case 'l'. Forming the tail of the plane was a set of clouds that were in a whirlwind shape but formed by thin horizontal layers. The whole 'plane' was lit a beautiful red/orange by the setting sun. I was really annoyed that I hadn't any space on my phone to take some photos but didn't want to delete any of the ones I had taken of a seal that had come in very close to shore on Bunmahon beach. Looking back it was a wrong decision. I really need a camera.

Or a memory card for you phone . .

Someone else might have seen it- try the waterford city forum maybe.

up for anything

thetonynator wrote: »

Or a memory card for you phone . .

Someone else might have seen it- try the waterford city forum maybe.

Memory card is full and my PC which has the software for downloading the phone stuff on it was knackered and fixed last week but still doesn't work and I can't afford to get someone in to look at it again and haven't had time to take it back to the fixer.

Will check the Waterford forum tomorrow.