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Cloud Spotting: Reading the Sky

Use the sky camera to identify cloud types and predict coming weather

Grades 6–8 45 min observation live IESH data

Clouds are one of nature's most reliable weather forecasts. In this activity students observe the live sky camera feed, learn to identify the most common cloud types, and practice making short-range weather predictions from what they see. The activity connects Nepal's dramatic monsoon and dry seasons to the cloud patterns students can observe in real time.

Procedure

  1. Look at the live sky camera image. Describe in words what you see — colour, texture, how much of the sky is covered.
  2. Estimate cloud cover as a fraction: 0/8 (clear) to 8/8 (overcast). Compare to the station's automated estimate in the panel above.
  3. Use the cloud type guide below to identify the main cloud type in the image. Record the name and altitude range.
  4. Read the barometric pressure sensor. Is pressure rising, steady, or falling? (Compare the current value to the value from 30 minutes ago on the dashboard chart.)
  5. Based on cloud type and pressure trend, write a one-sentence weather prediction for the next 6 hours.
  6. After 24 hours, revisit your prediction. Was it correct? What was the hardest part to predict?

Discussion

  1. Cumulus clouds look like fluffy cotton wool. What does their base height tell you about the lifting condensation level — the altitude at which rising air becomes saturated?
  2. During the monsoon, Nepal is often completely overcast for days. How does this affect agriculture, solar panels, and temperature? Who benefits from cloud cover? Who suffers?
  3. A fisheye lens gives a very wide view of the sky. What are the advantages and disadvantages compared to a standard narrow-angle camera for cloud observation?

Worksheet

1. Match each cloud type to its typical altitude and weather association: Cumulus, Cirrus, Stratus, Cumulonimbus. [4 marks]

Answer guide (for teachers)

Cumulus: 500–2000m, fair weather; Cirrus: >6000m, high thin ice, weather change coming; Stratus: 0–2000m, grey overcast, drizzle; Cumulonimbus: 0–12000m, thunderstorm/heavy rain.

2. The station records 992 hPa and falling. Identify TWO cloud types you might expect to see and explain why. [4 marks]

Answer guide (for teachers)

Low pressure approaching → nimbostratus (grey, rain-bearing), or cumulonimbus if convective instability is present. Accept other reasonable types with valid explanation.

Vocabulary

Cloud Cover
The fraction of the sky hidden by clouds, measured in eighths (oktas) from 0 (clear) to 8 (overcast).
Cumulus
Puffy, heap-like clouds with flat bases. Form when warm air rises, cools, and water vapour condenses.
Cumulonimbus
A massive storm cloud extending from near the surface to the tropopause. Associated with heavy rain, lightning and hail.
Barometric Pressure
The weight of the atmosphere pressing down on a surface. Falling pressure often signals approaching bad weather.
Fisheye Lens
A wide-angle lens with >100° field of view, allowing most of the sky hemisphere to be captured in a single image.

Extension

Keep a 2-week sky diary: take daily screenshots of the camera image at the same time each day and note the weather that followed. Build a simple table correlating cloud type and pressure to observed weather outcomes.

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