Download Cloud Comparison

Alison Suranovic and Hope Stebelton
What are clouds…?
 Very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals that have
gathered in a large collection.
 The bundles of droplets are so small and light that
they can float.
 Clouds appear white because they reflect light from
the sun.
How are clouds formed…?
 All air contains water
 The air near the ground is usually made up of an
invisible gas called water vapor.
 As warm air rises, it expands and cools. Cooler air is
not able to hold as much water vapor as warm air, so
much of this vapor condenses onto tiny pieces of dust
floating in the air.
 This forms a tiny droplet around each dust particle.
 When billions and billions of these droplets come
together they form a visible cloud.
Types of clouds…
 Cirrus
 Stratus
 Nimbus
 Cumulus
•Most common high
clouds made up of ice
• Commonly white
and predict fair
weather
• Thin, wispy clouds
that form long
streamers when
blown by high winds.
• Cirrus clouds most
commonly indicate a
change in the weather
that will take place
within 24 hours
Stratus
 Grayish colored clouds
 Often cover the entire
sky
 Look much like fog in
the sky
 Light mist sometimes
falls from these clouds
Nimbus
 Most often a dark gray
color because of all the
stored water droplets
 Water droplets come
down in the form of
precipitation, which
could be rain, snow, hail,
or sleet
 Usually predict
thunderstorms
Cumulus
 White, puffy clouds (look like cotton)
 Often predict fair weather
 The base of the each cloud is flat, while the top has
rounded towers
 Can develop into thunderstorm clouds