Cumulus clouds. Cumulus clouds are a sign of fair weather, though they may discharge rains sometimes in form of a light shower. You can find them virtually everywhere in the world expected for the Polar regions.
Cumulonimbus is fluffy and white like cumulus but the cloud formations are far larger. For the same reason, cumulonimbus is both a low-level and high-level type of cloud. At the low-altitude base, the cloud is mostly made of water droplets but the high-altitude summit is dominated by ice crystals.
The rain comes and goes with this cloud but when it does, it can come pouring. Stratocumulus looks like a thick white blanket of stretched out cotton. The base is well-defined and flat but the upper part of the cloud is ragged due to convection with the cloud itself. Depending on the thickness of the cloud, a stratocumulus will have light to dark gray hues. People often think rain is imminent when they see these clouds.
All of the above represents a broad classification as each type of cloud can be further grouped by species and varieties. The varieties are grouped and named based upon transparency and the arrangement of cloud elements, like so:.
For years, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, who is the founder of The Cloud Appreciation Society , has been on a mission to convince the world that a new category of cloud deserves recognition.
He called it Undulatus asperatus, an odd cloud formation with a distinct undulating and rolling motion. Varying levels of illuminations and thicknesses of cloud can lead to dramatic visual effects. Basically, this type of cloud looks as if it came straight from hell.
In March , this very rare cloud formation was officially recognized as a distinct cloud by the International Cloud Atlas, marking the first cloud formation added since cirrus intortus in Its name was changed into Asperitas. Home Other Feature Post. The types of clouds: everything you need to know Clouds come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some look cute and fluffy, others appear menacing and apocalyptic. January 28, Reading Time: 12 mins read. Get more science news like this This cloud is dark, gray, and appears flat at the base.
The storm has arrived when nimbostratus appears. The precipitation is steady, not showery. Usually, the rain will come down at a light to moderate rate, and it will last a good part of the day, or even longer. When nimbostratus appears, it's time to curl up with a big, thick Russian novel.
Sometimes, stratus clouds form rounded, puffy masses, and these clouds are called stratocumulus. These differ from altocumulus because there are larger round masses, and can make the sky appear very dark and ominous. These clouds are the most difficult to determine? It can be confused with other low cloud types. Stratocumulus will often form when a stratus layer is heated, and the atmosphere begins to overturn. That process of overturning from heating is called convection. It becomes an important factor in the next category of clouds.
First, though, let's look at a unique cousin of the cloud. Fog is a form of stratus cloud. Although all fog can creep along on little cat feet, many types of fog exist. The basic mechanism that causes fog is simply anything that can bring the relative humidity up to percent.
Usually, when the air cools to the dew point, fog will roll in. That cooling may occur during a clear, calm night. The accumulated heat of the day will radiate from the earth, and the temperature near the ground cools.
It could cool all the way down to the dew point. That type of fog is called radiation fog because it is brought about by radiational cooling? This type of fog frequently forms in valleys, because there the wind has the best chance of being light.
If the wind is gusty, that type of fog will not form because the atmosphere remains mixed, and will not likely cool as easily to the dew point.
When mountains and cliffs in the clouds appear, Some sudden and violent showers are near. Another type of fog occurs when warm air is brought over a colder surface. The warm air will be cooled on contact with the colder surface, and as its temperature lowers to the dew point, fog will develop. This fog often appears during a winter thaw when warm air streams over a frozen or snow-covered surface. Fog is often said to be a great snow-eater. But it doesn't come along and chomp away at the snow.
The warm air, which contributes to the fog, melts the snow away. Fog that develops over the ocean and in coastal areas often forms in a similar way. Warm air streams over a colder ocean surface. As soon as the air is cooled to its dew point, fog will shroud the ocean surface and adjacent shores.
If the air is tropical with plenty of water vapor and a high dew point, it will not take much to cool it to its dew point. Of course, if the water is cold, that also helps. Early summer is a favorite time for coastal fog. Most of these elements have an apparent width of less than one degree approximately width of the little finger - at arm's length. In general, Cirrocumulus represents a degraded state of cirrus and cirrostratus, both of which may change into it and is an uncommon cloud.
There will be a connection with cirrus or cirrostratus and will show some characteristics of ice crystal clouds. Transparent, whitish veil clouds with a fibrous hair-like or smooth appearance. A sheet of cirrostratus which is very extensive, nearly always ends by covering the whole sky.
During the day, when the sun is sufficiently high above the horizon, the sheet is never thick enough to prevent shadows of objects on the ground. A milky veil of fog or thin Stratus is distinguished from a veil of Cirrostratus of a similar appearance by the halo phenomena which the sun or the moon nearly always produces in a layer of Cirrostratus.
Altocumulus Ac , Altostratus As , and Nimbostratus Ns are mid-level clouds They are composed primarily of water droplets. However, they can also be composed of ice crystals when temperatures are low enough.
In Latin, alto means 'high' yet Altostratus and Altocumulus clouds are classified as mid-level clouds. They may be partly fibrous or diffuse and may or may not be merged. Most of these regularly arranged small elements have an apparent width of one to five degrees larger than the little finger and smaller than three fingers - at arm's length. When the edge or a thin semitransparent patch of altocumulus passes in front of the sun or moon, a corona appears.
This colored ring has red on the outside and blue inside and occurs within a few degrees of the sun or moon. The most common mid cloud, more than one layer of Altocumulus often appears at different levels at the same time. Many times Altocumulus will appear with other cloud types. Gray or bluish cloud sheets or layers of striated or fibrous clouds that totally or partially covers the sky. They are thin enough to regularly reveal the sun as if seen through ground glass.
Altostratus clouds do not produce a halo phenomenon nor are the shadows of objects on the ground visible. Sometime virga is seen hanging from Altostratus, and at times may even reach the ground causing very light precipitation.
Resulting from thickening Altostratus, This is a dark gray cloud layer diffused by falling rain or snow. It is thick enough throughout to blot out the sun.
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