Wind Direction and Cloud Procession Chart
Written by KD1LD

Many amateur radio operators have weather stations, but don't know much about the data they give. It's a shame to spend all that money just to watch the wind direction change. I decided to write a small but simple cheat-sheet to help get them on the right track. They will need a cloud chart or something that will tell them the cloud types. I got mine at the skywarn class. After awhile things will fall in place, and they will get better at forecasting the weather.

Above is Jim's wind and cloud chart. It's a general rule of thumb, have fun.
Note: weather systems travel at different speeds, - or + the chart.

FAIR WEATHER WIND: southwest, west, northwest to north.

UNSETTLED WEATHER WIND: north to northeast, east to south. If the wind shifts back and forth between southeast and southwest or from northeast to northwest there will be a change in the weather.
A change in the surface wind direction usually foretells a change in the wx. If there is rain in the morning with the winds from the northeast to south and the wind begins to shift to western points, then the rain will soon end. If the sky is cloudy and the winds shift rapidly from the southwest to
southeast or from northwest to northeast then a squall can be expected. If the sky is clear and the wind begins to shift back and forth between southeast and southwest then unsettled weather possible rain is on the way. If there is an early morning fog, frost, or due and the previous night was
clear than there will be no rain for the day.

COLD FRONT CLOUD FORMATION: cirrus, cirrocumulus, altocumulus, altostratus
stratocumulus, cumulonimbus or nimbostratus.

WARM FRONT CLOUD FORMATION: cirrus, cirrus spissatus, cirrocumulus,
altostratus, nimbostratus, possible cumulonimbus.

HURRICANE CLOUD FORMATION: cirrus, cirrostratus, altostratus,
stratocumulus and cumulonimbus or nimbostratus.

THUNDERSTORM CLOUD FORMATION: cumulus, cumulus humulis, cumulus congestus,
and cumulonimbus.

CLOUDS

CIRRUS good weather: This formation of Ice clouds foretells good weather if winds from NW to N. But steady winds from NE to S causes clouds to thicken, cover the sky, and warn of advancing warm front and precipitation.

CIRRUS fibratus: Ice clouds. Good weather if winds from W NW to N. precipitation likely within 20 to 30 hours if winds steady from NE E to S.

CIRRUS spissatus: Ice clouds. Good weather if winds from W NW to N. precipitation likely within 20 to 30 hours if winds steady from NE E to S.

CIRRUS uncinus: Ice clouds. Good weather if winds from W NW to N. precipitation likely within 20 to 30 hours if winds steady from NE E to S.

CIRROSTRATUS: ice clouds. precipitation likely within 15 to 25 hours if winds steady from NE E to S. Sooner if winds SE to S. Other winds bring overcast sky.

CIRROSTRATUS with halo: Ice clouds. Precipitation likely within 15 to 24 hours if winds steady from NE to S. Prismatic effect of sun or moon through ice crystals cause halo. The larger the halo the sooner the precipitation.

CIRROCUMULUS uncertain weather: This formation without winds precedes an overcast sky. If followed by winds from W to N no precipitation is likely, but winds from NE to S precipitation may be expected within the next 24 hours.

CIRROCUMULUS: Ice clouds. Precipitation likely within 15 to 20 hours if winds steady from NE to S. Early summer am: often afternoon thundershowers Other winds bring an overcast sky.

ALTOSTRATUS translucidus: Ice clouds. Precipitation likely within 10 to 15 hours if winds steady from NE to S. Sun appears to be behind frosted glass. Other winds bring an overcast sky.

ALTOCUMULUS translucidus: Water and Ice clouds. Some Precipitation likely within 15 to 20 hours if winds steady from NE to S. Other winds bring an overcast sky.

ALTOCUMULUS perlucidus: Water and Ice clouds. Some Precipitation likely within 15 to 20 hours if winds steady from NE to S. Other winds bring an overcast sky.

ALTOCUMULUS undulatus: Water and Ice clouds. Some Precipitation likely within 15 to 20 hours if winds steady from NE to S. Other winds bring an overcast sky.

STRATOCUMULUS weather threatener: With winds from W to N, this formation threatens unsettled weather, preceding a cold front. But winds from NE to S may change the clouds from stratocumulus to nimbostratus, thus making precipitation likely.

STRATOCUMULUS opacus: Immediate threatener of bad weather from a sprinkle to heavy precipitation. If at the head of a cold front expect gusty winds or thundershowers.

STRATOCUMULUS stratiformis: Immediate threatener of bad weather from a sprinkle to heavy precipitation. If at the head of a cold front expect gusty winds or thundershowers.

NIMBOSTRATUS: Rain or snow cloud. Precipitation of long duration if winds are from NE to S or shorter duration if winds are from SW W to N.

CUMULONIMBUS: Precipitation likely and soon coming usually from SW W to N. Distant clouds often show an anvil shaped cirroform cap.

CUMULONIMBUS calvus: Precipitation likely and soon coming usually from SW W to N. Distant clouds often show an anvil shaped cirroform cap.

CUMULONIMBUS capillatus: Precipitation likely and soon coming usually from SW W to N. Distant clouds often show an anvil shaped cirroform cap.

CUMULONIMBUS mamma: Seldom seen low to middle clouds. Associated with severe wind squalls, hail, heavy precipitation, tornadoes, and thunderstorms.

STRATUS: Winds from NE to S may bring heavy precipitation. Other winds bring only light drizzle, fog, or an overcast sky.

CUMULUS congestus: If clouds are from SW to NW precipitation with gusty winds and thunderstorms or only wind squalls are likely within 5 to 10 hours.

CUMULUS fractus: Fair weather clouds broken up by strong winds. No precipitation unless winds steady NE to S. Then cumulus fractus of bad wx.

RAIN WARNING CLOUDS

RAIN WARNING: A sky of dark altocumulus against a background of glaring
white sunlight at sunset is usually the forerunner or rain in 24 hours.

RAIN WARNING: A dull Indian-red sky at sunset, or sunrise, warns of rain
within 24 hours, possibly accompanied by strong wind.

RAIN WARNING: A morning sky or Indian-red altocumulus clouds usually brings
rain often accompanied by winds, and summer thunderstorms.

RAIN WARNING: If the sum seems to be within a halo, behind frosted glass of
cirrostratus clouds, or in a cocoon of altostratus, expect rain within 24 hrs.

SUN RISE GOOD WEATHER: A gray sky is the forerunner of fair weather. An
early morning fog is always followed by a rainless day if the preceding night
was clear.

SUN RISE GOOD WEATHER: A gray sky is the forerunner of fair weather. An
early morning fog is always followed by a rainless day if the preceding night
was clear.

SUN RISE GOOD WEATHER: A faint lavender sky, with high blue above the
clouds in early morning or late afternoon, foretells of good weather.

SUN RISE GOOD WEATHER: Whether the weather at the moment is clear or
cloudy, this rosy sky at sunrise will bring good weather the following day.

FAIR WEATHER: If smoke and birds go high there's no rain in the sky.

RAIN WARNING: If smoke and birds are low watch out for a blow.

SUNRISE OR SUNSET WIND SKY: A golden amber sky foretells of wind rather than
rain. A pale yellow sky warns of rain within 12 to 24 hours.

CLOUD TYPES

Cirrus (Ci) fibratus, uncinus, spissatus, castellanus, floccus

Cirrocumulus (Cc) castellanus, floccus, stratiformis, lenticularis

Cirrostratus (Cs) fibratus, nebulosus

Altocumulus (Ac) castellanus, floccus, stratiformis, lenticularis

Altostratus (As) altostratus

Nimbostratus (Ns) nimbostratus

Stratocumulus (Sc) castellanus, stratiformis, lenticularis

Stratus (St) nebulosus, fractus

Cumulus (Cu) humulis, fractus, mediocris, congestus

Cumulonimbus (Cb) calvus, capillatus

CLOUD SUBTITLES

fractostratus clouds broken up by the wind, spread out

genitus birth, or forming, growing from the mother cloud

mutatus changing with family characteristics into another form

nimbus always implies to rain

opacus a milky translucent

perlucidus partly lucidus light see between or through clouds

stratus appears as a layer or sheet

translucidus trans = throughout lucidus = bright and shining

uncinus hook shaped

HUES

The sky has many colors. The colors are created by the sun's rays passing through the atmospheric dust and moisture. Blue is the shortest band in the spectrum and the predominating color of the sky.

Red and pink, the widest bands of the spectrum, are seen most often at sunrise and sunset.

The brilliant rose, pink, coral, amber, and lavender show more on high ice clouds. These clouds indicate good weather for 15 to 25 hours.

The dark red and yellow sky apply to lower water clouds mostly. These two colors indicate unsettled weather within the next 24 hours. This also applies to the brilliant white sunrise or sunset.

The gold and amber colors predominate the middle ice and water clouds. But these colors also appear on the lower clouds and are a sign of good weather.

A green sky at sunset, seldom seen, is almost a sure sign of unsettled weather within the next 15 to 20 hours

On a hot summer day, when the sun is fiery red as it sets or rises and there are no clouds, the day, or the one to come, it will continue to be hot and the weather fair.

HIGHS AND LOWS

A "high" is an immense mountain of air, with winds spiraling clockwise around the center. Generally, highs, or high pressure areas, bring fair weather. They form over cool regions of the earth, where the cool and dense air sinks toward the ground causing the mass to become heavy.
"Lows" form between two areas of high pressure usually along a frontal zone. Winds spiral counterclockwise around lows, with light air near the center rising upward from the ground.

COLD FRONTS

First we may see cirrus clouds. This formation can last for several days or less. It is a fair weather cloud, in advance of a cold front or a warm front. The next formation can vary depending upon the speed and movement of the front and time of year. Cirrocumulus, followed by altocumulus or altostratus may occur. Stratocumulus would follow. The real warning cloud of rain and sometimes gusty winds. The actual rain cloud would be the cumulonimbus or nimbostratus.

WARM FRONTS

The first cloud in advance of a warm front would be a cirrus, followed by cirrus spissatus spreading over and covering the sky. Some times but not always, the next formation to appear would be the cirrocumulus cloud. Often confused with the cirrocumulus, altocumulus clouds are lower in the sky and have darker, more voluminous rolls. Next would be the altostratus clouds. At sunset we are likely to see a dark Indian-red sky or a yellow sky or a brilliant white sunset. The actual rain or snow producing cloud is the nimbostratus and possibly the cumulonimbus cloud. Precipitation may be of
long duration and occasionally heavy. Stratus clouds may bring light drizzle, in winter, light snow lasting for several days.

SNOW

A product of ice clouds, snow is water in solid form. Snowflakes form when water vapor changes directly to ice. This is called sublimation. Snow can be dry, a fine substance called diamond dust, requiring many hours to fall 1,000 feet, or fluffy, cottony, moisture-laden flakes as much as 1 inch in diameter, that makes the journey in ten minutes. It is never to cold to snow. The colder the air, the drier and lighter the snow. The wind direction that accompanies snow tells us much more of what to expect of the weather.

HAIL

Hail is mostly a product of cold-front storms. It occurs primarily during the hottest months of the year. The creation of hail begins when a drop of rain or snow pellet (graupel or soft hail) is drawn upward by the wind. Then it falls again, but the strong updraft catches it and carries it higher and
higher. Thus the hail stone grows larger, sometimes as large as a baseball. When it becomes so heavy that the updrafts no longer move it upward, the hail stone falls.

SLEET

Sleet is grains of ice, ice pellets, or frozen raindrops. This form when raindrops from the upper air falls through a layer of air which is colder than 32 degrees. Grains of sleet fall calmly, as opposed to the turbulent journey of hail. Most hailstorms occur between 12:30 pm and 8:30 pm and the majority
of those between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm. This is because our weather is generally hotter in the afternoon.

FOG

FOG, DEWS, and FROST are not forms of precipitation. Rather, fog may be described as a cloud in contact with the ground. It is the result of condensation that occurs in the air, or very close to, the earth's surface. There is no essential difference between a fog or a cloud. We have water fog and ice fog. The for we see most often is the ground, or radiation fog, usually occurring at morning when the air is cool.

GROUND FOG occurs primarily on clear, windless nights, when heat built up at the earth's surface during the day radiates skyward at night. As the earth cools, the air immediately above it cools, and eventually becomes saturated. Water vapor in the air condenses and turns to tiny liquid droplets. Similar conditions cause formation of due, and also frost when the temperature on the
ground is below freezing.

ADVECTION FOG is produced when moist air moves over colder land or water, and is most common along the seashores, on ocean and large lakes. Duration of advection fog depends upon the force and direction of the winds.

PRECIPITATION FOG, which is more like a low stratiform cloud formation and has the appearance of a continuous drizzle. Appearing usually in the spring and fall, this type of fog may last for days.