Global cloudiness is organized roughly into three latitudinal bands: one near the equator and one in each hemisphere at higher latitudes. The higher latitude cloud bands are composed of clouds forming in the cyclonic storm systems that dominate the mid-latitude circulation. The tropical cloud band is formed by moving clusters of deep convective storms that exhibit complex structure, strongly affected by the influence of the arrangement of land and water on the tropical circulation.
The above graphic is a composite image of the global distribution of cloud and land/ocean surface temperatures measured by various meteorological satellites on July 4, 1983. The lowest temperatures are indicated on the left side of the individual color scales and the highest temperatures are found on the right side.
