Luke Howard

English meteorologist

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July 17, 2026

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Luke Howard was an English meteorologist who, in 1803, coined the names for cloud types that are still used today: cirrus, cumulus, stratus, and nimbus, along with their combinations. He recognized that cloud formations reflected the general causes of atmospheric variations. Howard's work was foundational in understanding clouds, though later experiments by Paul-Jean Coulier in 1875 demonstrated the crucial role of dust particles in cloud formation.1

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Earth sciences
Understanding of clouds, fog, and dew
…1803 by the English meteorologist Luke Howard. Howard’s effort was not simply taxonomic; he recognized that clouds reflect in their shapes and changing forms “the general causes which effect all the variations of the atmosphere.”
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…1803 by the English meteorologist Luke Howard. Howard’s effort was not simply taxonomic; he recognized that clouds reflect in their shapes and changing forms “the general causes which effect all the variations of the atmosphere.”
Read More