Why do clouds turn black when it rains?
— Alexi Gochee A: First, be aware that not all clouds turn black (or gray) when it rains. Some stay white or light gray, especially if it’s a light, misty rain from stratus clouds, for example. Dark, black clouds are typically cumulonimbus clouds, and a sign of an impending thunderstorm, which could be severe. The simple answer why some rain clouds turn black is that the thicker the cloud, the more light it blocks, and the darker it will look to someone on the side away from the sun. For example, the thunderstorms that spin out tornadoes are big clouds with lots of water and ice in them that do a good job of blocking sunlight. In general, when a cloud is around 3,000 or so feet thick, hardly any sunlight will make its way through the cloud, rendering the underside very dark or black. These older USA TODAY resource pages help explain why rain clouds are gray and why tornadic clouds are black.— Doyle Rice ***********************************************************************************
