CLOUDS

A simple learning guide

WHAT IS A CLOUD?

No doubt you’ve found yourself once looking at the sky, and seeing

something like this:

THAT is a cloud

A cloud, in meteorology can be described as:

“…a visible mass of liquid droplets or frozen crystals made of water or various chemicals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of a planetary body.”

But what does that mean?

Let’s go ahead and take a closer look at this phenomenon.

To put it simply, after rain falls and turns into rivers, lakes and even puddles, this water evaporates due to the rays of the sun.

The water vapor cools at higher altitudes due to low temperatures in the atmosphere. It condenses.

This condensation is what we call a Cloud.

Do you know about the cycle of water?

Okay, but why are there so many kinds of clouds?

Good question. Let’s explain that in a bit more detail.

Clouds are formed when water vapor condenses and crystallizes around dust and other particles

found in the atmosphere.

Depending on the temperature, altitude, density and other factors, clouds can form at lower or higher altitudes.

The altitude in which a cloud forms has a significant effect in its appearance and behavior. This and a number

of other factors allows us to “predict” the weather.

Based on its forms and behavior, meteorologists have classified three large types of clouds. They are:

• Cirriform

• Stratiform

• Cumuliform

Cirriforms are clouds that usually form at the highest altitudes in the sky

The name “cirrus” or “cirro” comes from Latin , and means

“curly”

Most of these clouds are found to be thin and

wispy, and mainly composed of ice crystals,

due to the cold temperature at these

altitudes.

Cumuliforms are usually the first type of cloud that comes to mind when you hear the

word “cloud”

Cumuliforms are formed at all altitude

levels, and their name comes from the Latin

“cumulus” which means “heaps” or

“piles”.

Cumuliforms are can also sometimes develop into a huge towering form of cloud called a

“cumulonimbus”.

Cumulonimbus are typically responsible

for heavy rains, storms and lightning.

The word “nimbus” comes from Latin as

well, and denotes precipitation. That is,

rains.

Finally, stratoforms are clouds that appear in large horizontal groups. The name “stratos”

comes from the Latin word, “layer”

When you see a “cloudy” day, where

there’s almost no trace of a blue sky, you’re looking at a

stratoform cloud.

Clouds can have characteristics of more than one group. Thus, we have stratocumulus and

cirrostratus clouds, among others.

Things to remember about clouds

The affix “nimbus” (as in cumulonimbus) is not exclusive to cumulus clouds. Nimbostratus is the

type of cloud responsible for long and steady rains.