cloud tops formula

MikeOH58

MikeOH58

Well-Known Member
So the forumula to roughly find the base of clouds is temp-dew point/2.5 and correct for terrain elevation if necessary....

Is there a forumula to calculate tops, and if so, what is it? I cant find it anywhere?
 
There is no easy cloud top formula because above cloudbase a rising parcel of would rise at the SALR (Saturated Adiabatic Lapse Rate), not the DALR (Dry Adiabatic Lapse rate).

The 2.5 Degrees Celsius comes from subtracting the Dewpoint lapse rate from the DALR.

An easy way to find cloud tops is to use skew-t's (Temperature and Dew point profiles) (That is once you know how to use these charts):

http://twister.sbs.ohio-state.edu/skewt.html

Nik

 
Seems like there's too many variables to really come up with a rule of thumb. Stability aloft, cloud type (and hence low level stability), actual moisture content, winds aloft, inversions, etc. Seems like there would be cloud top forecasts readily available if there were solid rules.
 
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