Download Cloud Types

CLOUDS
Name
Period
Date
Condensation:
Process when water vapor goes
from a gas to liquid.
Cloud:
A collection of millions of tiny
water droplets or ice crystals
Humidity – The amount of water vapor or moisture in
the air.
Relative Humidity – The amount of humidity the air
contains versus the amount it can
actually hold.
Dew Point – The temperature the air must cool to in
order to be saturated and condensation to
occur.
Absolute Humidity:
Maximum water vapor that air holds
Relative Humidity:
Actual humidity at a certain
temperature
http://www.brainpop.com/science/weather/humidity/
Humidity:
How do clouds form?
1. Warm air rises and
cools
Relative Humidity:
Dew Point:
2. The rising air cools
and becomes
saturated
3. At saturation the
water vapor
changes to a liquid
or a solid
depending on the
air temperature
Your
foldable
Cloud Types
Classifications based on:
1. Shape or Form
2. Altitude
3. Precipitation
Cirrus
“CURL of
HAIR”
Stratus
“LAYERED”
1803
Classifications
Luke Howard 1. Shape
2. Altitude
3. Precipiation
Nimbo
“RAIN”
Cumulus
“HEAPED”
VERY COLD
HIGH
MID
LOW
NOT SO COLD
DESCRIPTIONS
Cumulus
•Puffy, white clouds that tend to have flat bottoms
•Formed when warm air rises
•Indicates fair weather
•Other adjectives: Piled, lumpy, billowy
Stratus
•Form in layers
•Covers large areas of the sky
•Often blocks the sun or moon
•Formed by gentle lifting of a large mass of air
•FOG - stratus cloud that comes in contact with the ground
•Other adjectives: sheets, blanket
Cirrus
•Thin, feathery, white clouds
•High altitudes
•Formed when the wind is strong
•Indicated approaching bad weather
•Other adjectives: wispy looking, horse tails
Nimbo
•When nimbo or nimbus is part of the cloud’s
name it means precipitation might fall
•Nimbostratus clouds are dark stratus cloud
that produce light to heavy continuous rain
•Cumulonimbus clouds are cumulous clouds that
form thunderstorms and produce heavy rain
HIGH altitude clouds – 6000 meters +
Primarily composed of ice crystals and include the following:
1. Cirrus
clouds
2. Cirrocumulus
clouds
They
“blanket”
the sky
and
are usually
translucent
3. Cirrostratus
clouds
MEDIUM altitude clouds – 2000 meters to
below 6000 meters
They can contain ice crystals and/or water droplets
and may occasionally be associated with some light
precipitation. Alto means MID
4. Altocumulus
They appear
“puffier” than
the HIGH
level
cirrocumulus
because we’re
closer to
them!
5. Altostratus
LOW altitude clouds – Below 2000 meters
Low clouds are most often composed of water
droplets, but can have ice crystals in colder
climates.
6. Cumulus
Cumulus clouds tend to be
“opaque” due to their
“thickness”
7. Stratocumulus
People often refer to a Stratus cloud filled sky as
“overcast”
8. Stratus
FOG
is considered a
low Stratus cloud
that is in contact
with the ground
So . . .
Fog = Stratus Cloud
NOT a separate
cloud type!
9.
N
i
m
b
o
s
t
r
a
t
u
s
Multi-layer clouds:
A gray and
rainy day is
usually filled
with
Nimbostratus
clouds!
These clouds are very dark, usually overcast, and
are associated with large areas of
continuous precipitation
10. CUMULONIMBUS
Can extend above 60,000 feet
They usually have large anvil-shaped tops
These are the clouds that can produce
lightning, thunder, heavy rains, hail, strong winds, and
tornadoes.
All
together
Special Clouds:
Mammatus Clouds
Here are some
other, rarer, types of
clouds:
Orographic clouds
Produced by the flow of air interacting
with
mountainous terrain.
CAP cloud
Lenticular
cloud
Lens-shaped clouds that can result from
strong wind flow over
rugged terrain
SUNDOG
These clouds are called Undulatus Asperatus.
They are very rare
This could be the first new cloud formation to be added
in over 50 years.
The clouds actually dissipate before storms form,
despite their dark and threatening appearance.
Taken in Gilberts, Il. by Caitlin Gurgone
March 16, 2012
Garrett Schneider’s
Fire Rainbow pictures
2013
Determining Cloud Level
To determine cumulus cloud level hold your hand out at
arm’s length and compare the size of the cloud “part” to
the following:
•Low-level cumulus clouds are about the same size, or
larger than, your fist.
•Mid-level cumulus clouds are farther away and the individual
cloud pieces are about the size of your thumb.
•High-level cumulus clouds are smaller still, with individual
cloud pieces about the size of the nail on your
little finger.
Stratus clouds have no distinct cloud pieces to measure
and a general rule is that cloud opacity tends to decrease
with height. Thus, by observing how much the cloud
obscures the Sun, you can estimate the level of a
stratus cloud.
Low-level clouds are generally thicker than mid-level
clouds, and a high-level cirrostratus is very thin.
If there is precipitation, the chances are very good
that you are dealing with a low-level cloud. Mid-level
clouds occasionally precipitate, but this is a rare
occurrence.
The END!
http://www.brainpop.com/science/weather/clouds/