Definition
The vertical distance from the surface of the earth, or from another stated reference, to the base of a cloud.
Plain English
How high the bottom of a cloud is above the ground (or another stated reference point).
Context Anchor
Pilots see cloud height in airport weather reports, preflight weather briefings, and radio weather broadcasts when checking whether clouds may affect a flight.
Why Pilots Care
Cloud height determines whether visual flight is possible and affects decisions about takeoff, landing, and route planning.
Grounding Statement
If you are standing on the ramp and the bottom of the cloud layer is 1,500 feet above you, the cloud height is 1,500 feet.
Intuition Check
Cloud height does not usually mean the top of the cloud. In aviation weather use, it usually means the height to the bottom of the cloud layer above the local surface.
Example Sentence 1
The METAR reported a cloud height of 2,500 feet, which kept us legal for our VFR cross-country.
Example Sentence 2
With a reported cloud height above 3,000 feet we were able to stay VFR for the entire flight.