Cloudiness


Degree of cloudiness
 
The degree of cloudiness is indicated by how much of the circle is shaded
 
 
Measuring Cloud Cover
 
The cloud pattern over Europe can be clearly seen on this Meteosat IR image.

The coverage of clouds over a certain point is assessed to give a measure of current weather conditions. The sky is divided into quarters.

So if half the sky is covered with clouds, 'scattered clouds' are recorded and cover is reported as 2/4 or 1/2.
 
 
Cloudiness Description
0 No clouds
1/4 Isolated clouds
2/4 Scattered clouds
3/4 Broken clouds
4/4 Overcast

 
 
More information about clouds can be found in the Cloud atlas.

Weather symbol on maps

The degree of cloudiness is indicated by how much of the circle is shaded.
 
 
 
Last update: 17 April 2013


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