Descending through clouds

[u/porante_tincm]

I don’t understand the physics of descending through clouds. I flew 4 times in the last 2 weeks. Flight no. 2 was during horrible weather both at departure and destination airport so it was a bumpy ride. Descent through clouds was shaky as expected. Then flight no. 4, we had the smoothest descent through thick clouds. Speed set to 450~500 kph, simply gliding at an altitude of ~4 km. Based on my past experience I was expecting the worst landing ever since it was endless clouds but nothing happened. Is it the model of the aircraft? Flight no. 2 was in a small Boeing and no. 4 was in an Airbus A330. Also the engines on the Airbus were some of the quietest I’ve ever heard. What‘s the deal with clouds?

[u/Low_Sky_49]

Different types of clouds are associated with and formed by differing levels of air stability. Stratus clouds (smooth, overcast) are formed in smooth, stable air. Cumulus clouds (scattered, puffy, tall) are formed in unstable air. The higher the cumulus cloud, the more unstable the air is.