cloud cover

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The amount of sky that is hidden by clouds at a particular time and place.

   Grammar: No plural and no 'a' before it: cloud cover was thick, not 'a cloud cover'.

   Patterns

   • heavy/thick cloud cover
   • total cloud cover
   • cloud cover of 80 percent

   Cloud cover kept temperatures lower than forecast.

   The satellite image shows heavy cloud cover over the whole region.

   Pilots check cloud cover before deciding whether to fly.

2. 2noununcountabletechnical

   The fraction of the sky covered by cloud, usually given as a percentage in weather reports.

   Grammar: Often followed by a figure: cloud cover of 60 percent.

   Patterns

   • cloud cover of something
   • average cloud cover

   Average cloud cover in the city reaches 70 percent in winter.

   The report gives daily figures for cloud cover and rainfall.

Common combinations

heavy cloud cover

Heavy cloud cover delayed the balloon launch.

thick cloud cover

Thick cloud cover hid the mountains completely.

total cloud cover

Total cloud cover made the eclipse impossible to see.

patchy cloud cover

Patchy cloud cover means some places will stay sunny.

clear of cloud cover

The sky was clear of cloud cover by noon.

Synonyms and how they differ

cloudiness

More general and a little technical; it describes the quality of being cloudy rather than a measured amount.

overcast

An adjective meaning the sky is almost fully covered, not a noun for the amount.

Opposites

Word family

cloudy adjective

Full of clouds; used about weather or, figuratively, about unclear water or ideas.

cloud noun

A visible mass of water drops floating in the sky.

overcast adjective

Completely covered by cloud, with no blue sky visible.

Commonly confused: cloud cover or cloud ceiling?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “cloud cover”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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