Upload
heidi-weber
View
168
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
What are they?How do they form?
What types are there?
What is a cloud?A visible collection of water droplets or frozen
crystals of water that are suspended above the surface of the earth.
How are clouds formed?All air contains water, but near the ground it is
usually in the form of an invisible gas called water vapor. When warm air rises, it expands and cools. Cool air can’t hold as much water vapor as warm air, so some of the vapor condenses onto tiny pieces of dust that are floating in the air and form as a tiny droplet around each dust particle. When billions of these droplets come together they become a visible cloud.
Why are they white?They are white because they reflect the light of the
sun
Cloud PrefixesHigh Clouds
Middle Clouds
Cirro = clouds above 18,000 feet
Alto =6,500 fee to 18,000 feet above ground
Strato = Ground level to 6,500 feet
Low Clouds
Cloud Prefixes are:
Cirro is for High Clouds
Alto is for Middle Clouds
Strato is for Low Clouds
Types of cloudsCUMULUS: CUMULUS: Latin word meaning heap
White puffy clouds Seen on a sunny day, the wind blows them aroundThese are the clouds you can see shapes in
Cumulus clouds
Notice the blue sky, white puffy clouds
Can you see an animal in the cloud in the center? I can
Types of Cumulus CloudsCirrocumulus Clouds
Small rounded white puffs that appear in long rows. Small ripples sometimes resemble the scales of a fish. Usually seen in winter and indicate fair, but cold weather. In tropical regions them may indicate an approaching hurricane.
Types of Cumulus cloudsAlto Cumulus = mid level clouds made of water
droplets and appear as gray puffy masses. If you see them on a warm sticky summer morning, be prepared to see thunderstorms in the late afternoon.
Types of Cumulus cloudsStratocumulus Clouds = low, puffy and gray,
most are in rows with blue sky between. Rain rarely occurs with stratocumulus clouds.
Types of cloudsSTRATUSSTRATUS: Latin root means layered
Usually seen on a rainy dayLike a blanket of light gray in the skyYou can’t tell where one cloud ends and another begins
Stratus Clouds
Notice how it looks like a blanket? Some of the clouds are lighter than others.
Types of stratus clouds
Thin sheetlike high clouds that often cover the entire sky. Usually come 12-24 hours before snow or rain.
Cirrostratus
Altostratus CloudsGray or blue-gray mid-level cloudsUsually cover the entire skyForm ahead of storms with continuous rain or snow
How are these clouds different?Cumulus clouds Stratus clouds
Cloud types Cirrus CloudsCirrus Clouds
Thin and wispyHigh in the skyMade of ice crystalsSeen on a fair dayPoint or curl in the direction the wind is movingUsually indicate a change in the weather within 24
hours
Cirrus Clouds
See how you can almost see through these clouds? They also have “tails” that point in the direction the air is moving (what is moving air called?)
Types of cloudsNimbus Nimbus (latin means cloud)
Is giving off rain or snow (what is this called?)Dark gray Usually cover the whole skyCan produce a thunderstorm or tornado
Nimbus Clouds
You can see how dark they are. Sometimes they are not quite so dark, but they usually have rain or snow with them.
How are these different?Nimbus clouds Stratus clouds
How are these clouds different?Cumulus clouds Cirrus clouds