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Maria Mudd Ruth

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Bad Meteorology

July 2, 2017 Maria Mudd Ruth

Seriously? The harmless cumulus clouds are being blamed for bad hair days? Sure, our hair does respond to the humidity in the air (by turning "frizzy" in high humidity and "flat" in dry air) and humidity does play a major role in cloud formation. But these clouds are the little cumulus humilis--clouds that generally form when humidity levels are not so high as to cause this OMG, like totally embarrassing up-do. Cumulus humilis are known as "fair weather" clouds and would likely flatten, not frizz hair. I have no idea of this cloud's effect on leg hairs.

Why all the clouds if it's Blue Skies LLC? Because the sky without clouds is, dare I say, boring. As is a business card. You'll notice clouds used frequently in print media as a backdrop for book or magazine articles even if the subject is not cloud…

Why all the clouds if it's Blue Skies LLC? Because the sky without clouds is, dare I say, boring. As is a business card. You'll notice clouds used frequently in print media as a backdrop for book or magazine articles even if the subject is not clouds. 

And how about this friendly li'l guy who misleads school children everywhere? Water droplets are not teardrop shaped. Rain drops are not teardrop shaped. Even tears are not teardrop shaped! Only when water leaks or drips slowly out of a faucet does …

And how about this friendly li'l guy who misleads school children everywhere? Water droplets are not teardrop shaped. Rain drops are not teardrop shaped. Even tears are not teardrop shaped! Only when water leaks or drips slowly out of a faucet does it resemble this shape. Rain drops are the shape of a hamburger bun--slightly convex on top. But who wants to learn about their watershed or the water cycle from a blue hamburger bun? 

Look at these very dark, scary rain clouds from Seattle. No need to criticize the accuracy of the cloud here (it's "art" on a pair of socks, after all) but I will defend the clouds' reputation by reminding everyone that Seattle, Washington, isn't al…

Look at these very dark, scary rain clouds from Seattle. No need to criticize the accuracy of the cloud here (it's "art" on a pair of socks, after all) but I will defend the clouds' reputation by reminding everyone that Seattle, Washington, isn't all that rainy. It's less rainy than Miami and several other U.S. cities. What Seattle has is clouds--not always rain clouds--but clouds. Lots of them.

← Test Your Cloud I.Q.Clouds for Teachers →

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Flying from Mountaineers Books this Spring—the story of the Pigeon Guillemot—the world’s most charismatic alcid. This non-fiction natural history will be on bookshelves and available from online retailers on April 7, 2026. Click a link below to pre-order a copy now from these purveyors:

Mountaineers Books (non-profit, indie publisher based in Seattle)

Browsers Books (Olympia’s indie bookstore)

Bookshop.org (support your local bookstore)

Barnes & Noble (in the book biz since 1971)

Amazon


A Sideways Look at Clouds from Mountaineers Books

A Sideways Look at Clouds from Mountaineers Books

Rare BirdORDER TODAY >>

Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet

“Compelling…  engaging.” —Library Journal

“Rare insights into the trials and joys of scientific discovery.” —Publisher’s weekly

Learn more about Rare Bird...

Enjoy this song by Peter Horne, "Little Bird, Little Boat, Big Ocean.” Written about the Marbled Murrelet, but the lyrics work well for the Pigeon Guillemot, too.


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