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Large clouds can contain roughly one million tons of water.

The Claim

A cloud can have a mass of approximately one million tons.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

Large clouds can indeed have a mass of approximately one million tons. Scientific estimates place some large cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds near one billion kilograms, while still larger cloud systems may reach tens of millions of tons. Much smaller masses quoted elsewhere generally describe ordinary, limited-size cumulus clouds rather than the full possible range.

Caveats

  • Cloud masses vary enormously with cloud type, dimensions, and liquid-water content.
  • These values are estimates derived from measured or assumed cloud volume and water density, not direct weighings.
  • A metric tonne and a U.S. short ton differ by about 10%, but the claim is explicitly approximate.

The Receipts

  1. How Much Does a Cloud Weigh? | U.S. Geological Survey

    usgs.gov

  2. How Much Does a Cloud Weigh?

    usgs.gov

  3. Estimating the Mass of a Cloud!

    science.gsfc.nasa.gov

  4. How much does a cloud weigh?

    loc.gov

  5. How much does a cloud weigh? | Library of Congress

    loc.gov

  6. Clouds | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA

    noaa.gov

  7. A cloud can weigh as much as an airplane? Why doesn't it fall? | U.S. Geological Survey

    usgs.gov

  8. How much does a cloud weigh?

    d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com

  9. How much does a cloud weigh? | U.S. Geological Survey

    usgs.gov

  10. CLOUD

    weather.gov

+ 17 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

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