eli5: How do (presumably very heavy) clouds stay suspended in the sky? More specifically how are they floating AND flat on the bottom?

Question

And what causes them to suddenly drop all of that water in the form of rain.

Judging by the amount of rain they must weigh a ton.

In: 337

Answer 1

Clouds form because warm moist air rises. The positive thermal buoyancy overcomes the negative bouyancy of the water vapor. Once that air reaches a certain height the water vapor condenses. As long as you have enough thermal buoyancy that cloud stays in the air.