What are clouds primarily made of?

Clouds are primarily composed of water droplets or ice crystals. When moist air rises, it cools and the water vapor within it condenses into tiny droplets or sublimates into ice crystals, depending on the temperature. These droplets and crystals cluster together to form the visible mass of a cloud.

Clouds can exist in different forms; at higher altitudes, where temperatures are colder, clouds may consist predominantly of ice crystals. In contrast, lower clouds might mostly contain water droplets. Regardless of the specific form, the fundamental composition remains the same: clouds consist of either water droplets or ice crystals, which play a crucial role in the water cycle and influence weather patterns.

Understanding the composition of clouds is essential for studying meteorology, as it helps explain phenomena such as precipitation and cloud formation processes.