As the title asks, what is the average mass of each kind of cloud? Ignoring things like overcast days, and only considering clouds large enough to identify. Or maybe rather than “average” it’d be better to say “what is the mass of an archiypical cloud of each type?” Eg an archiypical cumulus, cirrus, cumulonimbus, etc.
Ever seen a cloud form out of clear air, or burn away to nothing?
The thing is, all the water that makes a cloud visible is still in the air even when you can’t see it—it’s a combination of temperature and pressure changes that cause invisible water vapor to condense into visible water droplets. So you could be looking at a clear sky on a warm day that actually holds a greater mass of water than a sky full of clouds on a cold day.
That’s true. I’m ok with either option though, the mass of the condensed water, or the total mass of water in the volume of the cloud.