What does sky cover measure?

Sky cover measures the amount of the celestial dome that is obscured by clouds at a given time. This metric is typically represented as a fraction or percentage of the sky that is covered by clouds, indicating how much of the sky is obscured and helping to describe weather conditions. Understanding sky cover is essential because it affects weather forecasting, visibility, and overall atmospheric conditions.

The other options, while related to cloud characteristics, do not accurately define what sky cover measures. For example, the thickness of cloud layers pertains to the depth or vertical extent of cloud formation rather than the visible obscuration of the sky. The height of the cloud base is concerned with the altitude at which clouds form but does not reflect how much of the sky is covered. The duration of cloud presence refers to how long clouds have been in the sky but does not address the extent of coverage at any point in time. Each of these alternatives offers valuable information about clouds but does not directly relate to the specific measurement of sky cover.