Weather prediction: An early sign that the conditions might be right to form afternoon thunderstorms! Lenticular clouds Lenticular clouds are shaped like lenses or almonds or They may get their shape from hilly terrain or just the way the air is rising over flat terrain.
Weather prediction: None! Scientists have found that rapid growth and cooling at the tops of clouds are indicators of the potential for severe weather. The ABI can show more detailed changes in cloud-top features, helping scientists assess the potential size and severity of a storm even before it reaches its peak!
Cirrus Cirrus clouds are delicate, feathery clouds that are made mostly of ice crystals. Cirrostratus Cirrostratus clouds are thin, white clouds that cover the whole sky like a veil. Cirrocumulus Cirrocumulus clouds are thin, sometimes patchy, sheet-like clouds.
Altocumulus Altocumulus clouds have several patchy white or gray layers, and seem to be made up of many small rows of fluffy ripples. Altostratus Altostratus clouds are gray or blue-gray mid-level clouds composed of ice crystals and water droplets.
Nimbostratus Nimbostratus clouds are dark, gray clouds that seem to fade into falling rain or snow. Cumulus Cumulus clouds look like fluffy, white cotton balls in the sky. Stratus Stratus cloud often look like thin, white sheets covering the whole sky. Cumulonimbus Cumulonimbus clouds grow on hot days when warm, wet air rises very high into the sky.
Stratocumulus Stratocumulus clouds are patchy gray or white clouds that often have a dark honeycomb-like appearance. Contrails Contrails are made by high-flying jet airplanes. Mammatus clouds Mammatus clouds are actually altocumulus, cirrus, cumulonimbus, or other types of clouds that have these pouch-like shapes hanging out of the bottom. Orographic clouds Orographic clouds get their shape from mountains or hills that force the air to move over or around them.
Modern weather forecasts rely on complex computer simulators. Incremental improvements in forecasts over time mean that modern five-day weather forecasts are as skillful as three-day forecasts were 20 years ago. By keeping an eye on the skies above you, and knowing a little about how clouds form, you can predict whether rain is on the way.
And a little understanding of the physics behind cloud formation highlights the complexity of the atmosphere, and sheds some light on why predicting the weather beyond a few days is such a challenging problem. Clouds form when air cools to the dew point, the temperature at which the air can no longer hold all its water vapour. At this temperature, water vapour condenses to form droplets of liquid water, which we observe as a cloud.
For this process to happen, we require air to be forced to rise in the atmosphere, or for moist air to come into contact with a cold surface. This warmed air rises by convection and forms Cumulus. If you look at a sky filled with cumulus, you may notice they have flat bases, which all lie at the same level.
At this height, air from ground level has cooled to the dew point. This is common in the summer, with morning Cumulus developing into deep Cumulonimbus thunderstorm clouds in the afternoon. Near the ground, Cumulonimbus are well defined, but higher up they start to look wispy at the edges. This transition indicates that the cloud is no longer made of water droplets, but ice crystals. When gusts of wind blow water droplets outside the cloud, they rapidly evaporate in the drier environment, giving water clouds a very sharp edge.
On the other hand, ice crystals carried outside the cloud do not quickly evaporate, giving a wispy appearance. Cumulonimbus are often flat-topped. Within the Cumulonimbus, warm air rises by convection. Clouds are fragile, fleeting and powerful. A cloud can change from a fair weather cumulus to an angry, ominous hail-producing nimbus is a few short moments, like an Amazon princess whose delicate features belie her warrior strength…or something.
We also love clouds because they are easy and fun to observe. The more you observe, the more you begin to make connections about clouds as indicators of different types of weather. Clouds are pretty much named based on their basic shape, how high they are found in the sky, and if they produce rain or other precipitation.
The answer is yes. So really much of naming clouds is just a combination of the latin roots above. There are lots and lots of different types of very cool clouds with other very beautiful Latin names , but those are the basics of the main three cloud types. One really fun reason to learn about clouds is that you can really tell a lot about the weather by recognizing the different types. Weather is a very complex topic, and this is a small sample to help you on your way to understanding more about it.
Listed below are the three major cloud types and what they generally mean in the sky. Cumulus are the puffy, white, cotton-top clouds that look so soft that you picture angels lounging around and doing their thing on them.
They are considered low-level clouds below ft , but some forms can build up past 20,ft. Cumulus comes in many varieties, and here are just a few. Cumulus humilis is the quintessential Cumulus — flat-bottomed and puffy like cotton they look like cartoon Simpsons clouds. They get the name humilis meaning humble, lowly, small because they are the tiny, non-threatening Cumulus.
Stratus are another low level cloud below feet , and they often cover sky like a low-lying blanket. They may or may not produce any precipitation, but if they do it is a misty drizzle. They are the cloud you might associate with a dreary, curl-up-with-a-good-book day but I rather like to go on walks on days like that.
Cirrus clouds are a high-level cloud above 20, ft. These wispy, delicate-looking clouds arrive in advance of frontal systems, so they indicate the weather is about to change. I love the way cirrus clouds can appear across the sky like they were wistfully painted with a giant cloud brush. They have a whimsical quality that makes them seem more like art than part of the weather. Rob is an ecologist from the University of Hawaii. He is the co-creator and director of Untamed Science.
His goal is to create videos and content that are entertaining, accurate, and educational. When he's not making science content, he races whitewater kayaks and works on Stone Age Man. Your email address will not be published.
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