<p>You are right, you can't get cloudbase height without 3D data. You can do that using radiosondes. However, if your weather station has a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceilometer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ceilometer</a>, then you don't actually need many calculations. However, they are usually quite expensive.</p>

<p>If you want a real rough calculation, you can just use the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifted_condensation_level" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Lifted Condensation Level</a>, which is more valid estimate during the day than at night.</p>

<p>Note on the grib files: They may not always have all of the variables. For example, the WAVE ocean model (see <a href="https://nomads.ncep.noaa.gov/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">NCEP NOMADS</a>) won't have cloud base, because it is in fact for oceans. However, what you can do is use models like the <a href="https://nomads.ncep.noaa.gov/pub/data/nccf/com/gfs/prod/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">GFS</a>, which tell you what model levels have clouds, and then find the height of the lowest level that has cloud cover. It will take some programming though.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-08T20:37:53.817Z
2020-01-09T17:22:08.797Z
2020-01-09T17:22:08.797Z
BarocliniCplusplus
<p>I am trying to estimate cloudbase height using calculations from my weather station temperature/humidity, by calculating those two variables I can get estimated cloudbase height but what puzzles me now is inversion layers and temperature at different heights. </p>

<p>I know grib and grib2 files contain those data but I can't seem to figure out how to pull that data in Java even though I tried like every possible library. </p>

<p>Is there any other way I can accurately estimate cloudbase levels by using some API which gives temperature by height for given latitude and longitude.</p>

<clouds>
Estimate cloudbase height
Tomislav Medić
# Estimate cloudbase height

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-01-08)

I am trying to estimate cloudbase height using calculations from my weather station temperature/humidity, by calculating those two variables I can get estimated cloudbase height but what puzzles me now is inversion layers and temperature at different heights.

I know grib and grib2 files contain those data but I can't seem to figure out how to pull that data in Java even though I tried like every possible library.

Is there any other way I can accurately estimate cloudbase levels by using some API which gives temperature by height for given latitude and longitude.

**Tags:** clouds


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-01-08. Score: 7

You are right, you can't get cloudbase height without 3D data. You can do that using radiosondes. However, if your weather station has a [ceilometer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceilometer), then you don't actually need many calculations. However, they are usually quite expensive.

If you want a real rough calculation, you can just use the [Lifted Condensation Level](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifted_condensation_level), which is more valid estimate during the day than at night.

Note on the grib files: They may not always have all of the variables. For example, the WAVE ocean model (see [NCEP NOMADS](https://nomads.ncep.noaa.gov/)) won't have cloud base, because it is in fact for oceans. However, what you can do is use models like the [GFS](https://nomads.ncep.noaa.gov/pub/data/nccf/com/gfs/prod/), which tell you what model levels have clouds, and then find the height of the lowest level that has cloud cover. It will take some programming though.


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