Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

1 Answers

potentially dumb hypothetical question about cloud/fog formation

Asked by: 2050 views
Weather

What would happen theoretically if the air became over saturated with water but there were no condensation nuclei of any sort to allow for cloud formation?

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

1 Answers



  1. EAD on Mar 27, 2017

    That’s not a dumb question. It’s called supersaturation and apparently it can rarely happen above 25,000 feet (only have one source for this, so take it with a grain of salt).

    In the case of supersaturation, the vapor simply would not condense out until it had something to condense onto. As soon as it did, it would form a cloud.

    I believe it would be impossible anywhere near the surface, if that is your question, since there would always be impurities in the air.

    Source: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-20/news/ct-wea-0720-asktom-20110720_1_relative-humidity-condensation-nuclei-supersaturated-air

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.