A cloud can weigh 1.1 million pounds. So why doesn't it fall?

A typical cumulus cloud can contain about 500 million grams of water — about 1.1 million pounds, roughly the weight of 300 mid-sized cars. 1

The water is spread through about a trillion liters of cloud as tiny droplets suspended in air. NOAA describes clouds as water vapor that condenses into visible droplets when conditions change. 2

The droplets still feel gravity, but rising air keeps carrying cloud air upward. Condensation releases heat, the warmed air expands and becomes less dense, and thermals help keep the cloud aloft. 1

Big mass. Tiny droplets. Rising air. That is the cloud-sized trick.