General > Forecasting

Cloud top height

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administrator:
There's a formula that allows the height of the cloud base to be estimated, but does anyone know of a formula that allows the height of the cloud top to be estimated? I'm thinking in terms of using pressure/temp/etc values and not trigonometric type formulas for working out the height based on angles/distances.

jmcmurry:
Chris,

I don't know if this will help, but in searching I found the formula in http://www.brockmann-consult.de/CloudStructures/introduction.htm to show up on a couple sites.  Maybe a piece of the puzzle, maybe not.

h [km] = -8 * LOGS (cloud_top_press [hPa]/1013)

So now, where do you get cloud_top_press?

- Jim

administrator:
Thanks for the useful pointer Jim. I think I have a source for the pressure at the cloud top so I'll have to experiment and see if it gives me sensible values.

jmcmurry:
Great!  I'd be interested in seeing how that works out, in fact if it does, it could contribute to one of my scripts.

- Jim

NorCal Dan:
Now you have me wondering what causes clouds to stop at a certain altitude?

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