An Average Cloud Weighs About 1.1 Million Pounds

Despite appearing light and fluffy, clouds are surprisingly heavy. A typical cumulus cloud measures about 1 kilometer wide and contains approximately 500,000 kilograms (1.1 million pounds) of water droplets. To put this in perspective, that's equivalent to about 100 elephants or 200 cars suspended in the air. The cloud doesn't fall because the water droplets are incredibly tiny (about 20 micrometers in diameter) and fall very slowly through the air. The upward air currents in the atmosphere are strong enough to keep these tiny droplets aloft. When the droplets combine and become too heavy, they fall as precipitation.