It’s cold and damp. Scientists tell what happens if you parachute through a cloud

Even if you don’t experience a burst of adrenaline and never settle for skydiving, you may have wondered what it’s like to reach out and touch the clouds while flying in an airplane, according to Live Science.

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Scientists decided to shed light on this exciting question in a new study, and they described what actually happens if you parachute through a cloud. The researchers note that such an experience will depend on the type of cloud, protective equipment and weather conditions. But one way or another, the combination of all these factors will likely lead to the fact that:

• get wet;
• freeze;
• You may even lose consciousness.

Clouds form when water molecules condense around particles called aerosols in the air, according to Marile Colon Robles, an atmospheric scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia. In fact, it is the nature of these particles that influences the type and size of clouds that form.

However, not all aerosols are the same. Some of these are natural, for example dust causing ice particles to form while sea spray precipitates water molecules. Meanwhile, the researchers also conducted a series of experiments to create bright and dense clouds using artificially introduced aerosols such as silver and lead iodide. These particles form clouds that can reflect solar radiation or cause rain and snow.

Paratroopers typically jump from around 4,000 meters and are therefore more likely to encounter stratus and cumulus clouds. In simple words, with a thick blanket on a cloudy day, or with soft clouds on a flat day occurring on a sunny day. Both types of these clouds are mainly composed of water molecules.

According to Ryan Katchmar, a Utah skydiving instructor who has over 10,000 jumps, people should never deliberately parachute through clouds. First, the danger lies in the fact that you cannot track down potential threats like other paratroopers. However, whatever it is, sometimes this happens.

It’s hard to compare such an experience with anything else, according to Katchmar. First, it’s like you walk into a white room and then you jump out from below. Second, if the clouds are dark and thick, then the experience is more like a mound and you will find yourself drenched to the skin. Third, the feeling is comparable to the air in cool and humid areas, according to the instructor.

The trainer also notes that he once had to deal with unexpectedly cold conditions. As he and the woman walked through the cloud, they realized that ice had literally formed on them.

The most dangerous jump is considered to be jumping over a cloud of thunder, because you literally find yourself in the “Mecca of all lightning flashes.” Note that in the entire history of the jump, only two cases are known when paratroopers managed to survive after passing through a cloud of thunder. In 1959, US Lieutenant Colonel William Henry Rankin was ejected from a fighter plane in inclement weather and spent 40 minutes spinning in a storm cloud. Then he froze and nearly drowned.

In 2007, German paraglider Eva Wischnerska was accidentally caught in a storm while training for the World Championships. As a result, she lost consciousness due to lack of oxygen, and after a few hours she landed 80 km from the intended point.

Previously Focus He wrote that scientists tell the weight of a cloud.