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Common Clouds and what
they look like.
Cumulus Clouds
• There are three types of
cumulus clouds:
• humilis are wider than they are tall
• mediocris are as wide as they are tall
• congestus are taller than they are wide
Can “grow” on
sunny days
Cumulonimbus Clouds
Form best under these conditions:
• Lots of warm and moist air
• Increasing winds make the cloud slant
forward.
• The atmosphere around the cloud needs to
be “unstable”
Thunderstorms on the way!
Stratus Clouds
• Stratus clouds are formed when large air
masses cool, also known as fog or mist.
• Stratus clouds are also the lowest forming
clouds.
Light rain most likely
Stratocumulus Clouds
• Stratocumulus clouds are textured and puffy.
• Stratocumulus clouds usually form from
cumulus or stratus clouds.
Snow is possible
Altocumulus Clouds
• Altocumulus clouds are very high in the sky,
so they are usually above the influence of
thermals.
!
• The usual precipitation
is light rain.
This type
makes really
cloudy skies!
Altostratus Clouds
• Altostratus Clouds altitude is between 6,500
and 23,000 ft
• But since they are up so high they are the
reason for pretty sunsets.
Nimbostratus Clouds
• Usually thick and wet, with lots of
precipitation that is steady and slow.
• Formed from altostratus clouds when they
collect water.
Cirrus Clouds
• Cirrus clouds are the highest of all clouds
and made of ice crystals.
• Cirrus clouds have no visible precipitation.
Cirrocumulus Clouds
• Another cloud mostly made of ice crystals.
• Lots of large cirrocumulus clouds may
indicate bad weather.
• Formed in the troposphere in high winds.
Indicates lots
of precipitation
on the way!
Cirrostratus Clouds
• Cirrostratus clouds are usually difficult to
spot.
• Cirrostratus clouds produce a variety of
optical effects.
Review
• Lets watch this short
video to review the
cloud types!
Play
Name
Appearance
Conditions
Facts
Altocumulus
Blue-gray, blanket-like Rain or snow likely
Made of ice and water
at middle heights
Cirrus
Wispy ice clouds
Seen in clear skies
Mean good weather,
but can mean a
change in weather
Stratocumulus
Dark, heavy waterdroplet clouds
Rain or snow likely
Seen at low or lowermiddle heights
Cumulonimbus
Giant thunderhead
clouds
Thunderstorms with
heavy rain
Hail, wind and
lightening are on the
way
Stratus
Flat, low clouds
Overcast skies
Light rain, drizzle, or
flurries likely
Cumulus
Fluffy, lower clouds
Fair weather
Clouds can grow. If
growing late in day,
indicates change in
weather
Label Me!
altocumulus, altostratus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus, cirrus,
cumulonimbus, cumulus, fog, nimbostratus, stratus, stratocumulus
Answer worksheet