Have you ever looked at cumulus clouds and wondered why they have flat bases? A question I was asked earlier from April was just that; "Why do the clouds today all have flat bases?" To answer that, we must look at what is happening in our atmosphere:
There were a few clouds at the start of Tuesday, but sunny skies were quick to prevail through mid to late morning. Shortly after that you may have noticed cumulus clouds beginning to form and grow. Warm air is less dense than cool air. So, when the sun came out it warmed the air around us causing it to rise. This rising air, as it cools, reaches its dew point temperature and becomes saturated at a point in the atmosphere known as the LCL - lifting condensation level. Water vapor condenses into little, tiny water droplets which form the base of the cloud. The rising air will continue to cool, expand, and condense causing the puffy look to the top of the cloud.
The amount of moisture in the atmosphere will not only help determine where the base of the cumulus cloud will form, but also how tall the cloud will grow. Other factors such as instability, wind shear, forcing and lift can help grow those cumulus clouds into cumulonimbus clouds (thunderstorms).
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