Cloud is an important factor that affects global climate change, so the research of cloud monitoring is very important. In order to identify pixel as cloudy or clear from the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor and overcome the shortage of current VIIRS cloud mask algorithm in China, this paper made an introduction for the basic theory of current cloud detection algorithm, and then the cloud detection method was presented.The brightness temperature of was used to detect high cloud to overcome the limit of using 1.38 mum in elevated surface, and the appropriatethreshold of M12-M13 cloud detection was determined by some analysis. Application analysis showed that the method presents in this paper could be used to accurately detect the cloud, and the brightness temperature auxiliary M12-M13and 1.38 mum could inhibition the surface reflection. With the artificial interpret of the remote sensing image, the results showed the estimation accuracy was higher than 85% which can satisfy the requirements of the cloud detection accuracy for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program.