CloudsMrs. Kotchounian

2013

High Level Clouds

• form above 6,000 meters• primarily composed of ice crystals.

• thin and white in appearance.

Cirrus Clouds

• Thin and wispy• Generally occur in fair and pleasant weather

•Signal upcoming change in weather (cold front or Low Pressure)

•Point in the direction of air movement at their elevation

Cirrocumulus Clouds

• Small, round white puffs• ripple effect• said to resemble the scales of a fish

•Normally associated with fair weather

Cirrostratus Clouds

• “sheet-like”• can cover the entire sky, but are nearly transparent

•Can see the sun and/or moon through them

•Associated with fair weather•Can be a signal of upcoming change in the weather

Mid-Level Clouds

• form between 2,000 and 6,000 meters above sea level

•Composed primarily of water droplets

Altocumulus Clouds

• may look like parallel bands or rounded masses

•A portion of them is usually shaded or grey in color

•May be a signal that a cold front is approaching

Altostratus Clouds

• Grey or bluish-grey in color• usually cover the entire sky• commonly form ahead of storms that will produce steady precipitation

Low-Level Clouds

• composed mainly of water droplets

•Found below 2,000 meters

Stratus

• Gray• flat, uniform in appearance• cover entire sky• generally no precipitation, although some drizzle may occur

Nimbostratus Clouds

• dark• light to moderate steady precipitation

Stratocumulus Clouds

• dark to light grey• light precipitation• lumpy layers with some breaks in between

Stratocumulus Clouds

These are similar in appearance to altocumulus and are often mistaken for such. A simple test to distinguish these is to compare the size of individual masses or rolls: when pointing your hand in the direction of the cloud, if the cloud is about the size of your thumb, it is altocumulus; if it is the size of your entire hand, it is stratocumulus.

Clouds with Vertical Development

Cumulus

• Cottonball appearance• may appear between 5-40 minutes

• flat bases• slight vertical growth

Cumulonimbus

• significant vertical development

•Produce thunderstorms•Dark bases