Ace the 2025 Instrument Rating Adventure – Soar Through Your INRAT Practice Exam!

Large supercooled water droplets are typically found in the lower levels of unstable clouds. Unstable clouds, such as towering cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds, are characterized by strong updrafts that can lead to the formation of larger droplets. As air rises rapidly, it cools adiabatically, and if the temperatures are below freezing but the droplets remain unfrozen (supercooled), they can reach sizes larger than those typically found in stable environments. This is a critical factor since supercooled droplets pose a higher risk for aircraft, especially during ascent and descent phases when encountering such clouds.

In contrast, stable clouds generally have more uniform and smaller water droplets due to weaker vertical motion, hence less likelihood of large supercooled droplets. Mid-level and upper-level clouds typically do not contain large supercooled droplets due to different atmospheric conditions and temperature profiles.