Why do clouds have flat bottoms all at the same height? Rising air cools until it hits its dew point — the lifting condensation level — and that is where the cloud begins.
Atmospheric Lapse Rate & Cloud BaseLive
temperature & pressure with altitude
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Air cools with height at the environmental lapse rate. Rising air cools until it hits its dew point at the lifting condensation level — the cloud base — estimated by (T − Td)/8 km. The pressure falls with altitude following the barometric formula.
Reading this result: Cloud base is set by the dew-point depression, not the lapse rate: it sits at roughly (T − Td)/8 km, while the lapse rate only controls how cold it gets on the way up.
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How it works
Air temperature falls with altitude at the environmental lapse rate. A rising parcel cools until it reaches saturation at the lifting condensation level, estimated by (T − Td)/8 km, which sets the cloud base. Pressure decreases with height following the barometric formula. Core concepts for meteorology, aviation, and fire-weather forecasting.
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