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How high up in the air are highest clouds?

By Karen Hill

Cirrus clouds, those high, wispy-looking clouds you see on a clear day, are above 18,000 feet—about 3.5 miles high.

The highest clouds ever recorded were just under 60,000 feet, or about 11 miles high, though the instruments used to measure such things are less than precise.

To put this in perspective, Mount Everest is 29,035 feet (5.5 miles) high, and the Boeing 747 is allowed by law to fly as high as 45,100 feet, or a little over 8.5 miles high.

We think that’s pretty high. Now we know it’s just that much more difficult to “fly high above the clouds”. Whoever came up with that phrase probably didn’t know what they were talking about.

Related

  • Why Is the Planet Venus Covered In Clouds and How Were the Clouds On Venus Formed From Sulfur Dioxide?
  • How Do the Clouds On Venus Move and How Long Do the Clouds On Venus Take To Rotate Around the Planet?
  • Why Are Clouds White and Why are Storm Clouds Dark and Black?
  • Why are clouds white when water is transparent and air is clear?
  • How do clouds float in the air if they contain a lot of water?
  • How High Is the Highest Average Temperature On Earth?

Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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