2. What is a cloud?
A visible collection of water droplets or frozen
crystals of water that are suspended above the surface
of the earth.
3. 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.
4. Why are they white?
They are white because they reflect the light of the
sun
5. Cloud Prefixes
High 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
6. Types of clouds
CUMULUS:CUMULUS: Latin word meaning heap
White puffy clouds
Seen on a sunny day, the wind blows them around
These are the clouds you can see shapes in
7. Cumulus clouds
Notice the blue sky, white
puffy clouds
Can you see an animal in the
cloud in the center? I can
8. Types of Cumulus Clouds
Cirrocumulus 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.
9. Types of Cumulus clouds
Alto 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.
10. Types of Cumulus clouds
Stratocumulus Clouds = low, puffy and gray,
most are in rows with blue sky between. Rain rarely
occurs with stratocumulus clouds.
11. Types of clouds
STRATUSSTRATUS: Latin root means layered
Usually seen on a rainy day
Like a blanket of light gray in the sky
You can’t tell where one cloud ends and another begins
13. Types of stratus clouds
Thin sheetlike high clouds that often cover
the entire sky. Usually come 12-24 hours
before snow or rain.
Cirrostratus
14. Altostratus Clouds
Gray or blue-gray mid-level clouds
Usually cover the entire sky
Form ahead of storms with continuous rain or snow
15. How are these clouds
different?
Cumulus clouds Stratus clouds
16. Cloud types
Cirrus CloudsCirrus Clouds
Thin and wispy
High in the sky
Made of ice crystals
Seen on a fair day
Point or curl in the direction the wind is moving
Usually indicate a change in the weather within 24
hours
17. 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?)
18. Types of clouds
NimbusNimbus (latin means cloud)
Is giving off rain or snow (what is this called?)
Dark gray
Usually cover the whole sky
Can produce a thunderstorm or tornado
19. 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.
20. How are these different?
Nimbus clouds Stratus clouds
21. How are these clouds
different?
Cumulus clouds Cirrus clouds