Name: Dena
Status: student
Grade: 9-12
Country: Australia
Date: Fall 2011
Question:
Do more clouds form during daytime or nighttime?
Replies:
Dena
Daytime.
If there is enough moisture in the air the Sun will heat the uneven land
surface, unevenly, causing air currents that rise (because hot air is less
dense than cold air). As moist hot air rises in the atmosphere it cools
(because temperatures drop the higher you climb in the atmosphere) and
condenses the water vapor that forms the clouds. As the water vapor
condenses it releases heat that causes the air column to rise even higher.
The Sun is not available during the night to perform this cloud forming
process so the answer to your question is daytime.
Sincere regards,
Mike Stewart
water heat up from the sun. The sun's heat evaporates water and,
being warm, the water vapor rises. When it gets high enough, the
vapor condenses into droplets which we see as clouds. This kind of
cloud is the puffy "fair weather cumulus" we often see on otherwise
clear and sunny days.
Clouds from larger causes, such as warm and cold fronts or
hurricanes and other storms, can be seen any time of day.
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