Study notes on "Clouds and its types" (part 2)

A cloud is a visible mass of liquid droplets or frozen crystals made of water and/or various chemicals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of a planetary body.

In general, clouds form when rising air is cooled to its dew point (the temperature at which the air becomes saturated). Water vapour normally begins to condense on condensation nuclei such as dust, ice, and salt in order to form clouds. If sufficient condensation particles are not present, the air will become supersaturated and the formation of cloud or fog will be inhibited The cloud formation is generally due to adiabatic cooling.

4. Altocumulus clouds: These are middle level clouds that are made up of water droplets and appear as grey, puffy masses, sometimes rolled out in parallel waves or bands.

5. Altostratus clouds: These are grey or bluegrey middle level clouds composed of ice crystals and water droplets. These clouds usually cover the entire sky. In the thinner areas of the cloud, the sun may be dimly visible as a round disk. Altostratus clouds often forms ahead of storms that produces continuous precipitation.

6. Stratus clouds: These are uniform greyish clouds that often cover the entire sky. They resemble fog that does not reach the ground. Usually no precipitation falls from stratus clouds, but sometimes they may drizzle. When a thick fog "lifts," the resulting clouds are low stratus.

7. Nimbostratus clouds: These form a dark grey, "wet" looking cloudy layer associated with continuously falling rain or snow. They often produce precipitation that is usually light to moderate

8. Cumulonimbus clouds: These are thunderstorm clouds that form if cumulus congestus clouds continue to grow vertically. Their dark bases may be no more than 300 m (1000 ft) above the Earth's surface. Their tops may extend upward to over 12,000 m (39,000ft). Tremendous amount of energy is released by the condensation of water vapour within a cumulonimbus. Lightning, thunder, and even violent tornadoes are associated with the cumulonimbus.

9.Cumulus clouds: These are puffy clouds that sometimes look like pieces of floating cotton. The base of each cloud is often flat and may be only 1000 m (330 ft) above the ground. The top of the cloud has rounded towers. When the top of the cumulus resembles the head of a cauliflower, it is called cumulus congestus or towering cumulus. These clouds grow upward, and they can develop into a giant cumulonimbus, which is a thunderstorm cloud.