What are the classifications of clouds?
Cloud Classification
| Cirrus (above) | Cirrostratus (above) |
| Altocumulus (above) | Stratus (above) |
| Cumulus (above) | Cumulus congestus (above) |
| Shelf cloud (above) | Fractus (scud) (above) |
| Cloud chart showing the different types of high, mid, and low-level clouds, as well as a number of other interesting cloud types and formations. |
What are the four classifications of clouds?
The different types of clouds are cumulus, cirrus, stratus and nimbus.
What are the 4 Cloud families?
For identification purposes, you need be con- cerned only with the more basic cloud types, which are divided into four “families.” The families are: high clouds, middle clouds, low clouds, and clouds with extensive vertical development.
What are the three categories of clouds?
There are three main cloud types.
What are the 10 types of clouds?
The foundation consists of 10 major cloud types. In addition to cirrus, stratus, cumulus, and nimbus clouds, there are cirrostratus, cirrocumulus, altostratus, altocumulus, stratocumulus, nimbostratus, and cumulonimbus clouds.
What are 5 major types of clouds?
The list of cloud types groups the main genera as high (cirrus, cirro-), middle (alto-), multi-level (nimbostratus, cumulus, cumulonimbus), and low (stratus, strato-) according to the altitude level or levels at which each cloud is normally found.
What is the biggest type of cloud?
Cirrus clouds
Is fog a cloud?
Fog is a kind of cloud that touches the ground. Fog forms when the air near the ground cools enough to turn its water vapor into liquid water or ice.
What are the cloud types today?
The classification of clouds into types was first proposed by Luke Howard in 1802 and we largely use the same system today. This splits clouds into three main types – stratus, cumulus and cirrus. Clouds are continually changing and appear in an infinite variety of forms.
How are clouds named?
According to his system, clouds are given Latin names corresponding to their appearance — layered or convective— and their altitude. These clouds look lumpy and piled up, like a cauliflower. Convective cloud types are indicated by the root word cumulo, which means “heap” in Latin.
Why do clouds float?
Clouds form when warm wet air rises and condenses in cold air. Water droplets in air behave the same way as dust6. The second reason that clouds can float in the air is that there is a constant flow of warm air rising to meet the cloud: the warm air pushes up on the cloud and keeps it afloat.
What are these clouds?
High Clouds
- Cirrus. Cirruc clouds are thin, wispy, feathery clouds often spread across the sky.
- Cirrocumulus. These clouds are rippled or grainy looking.
- Cirrostratus. These clouds appear as thin sheets that stretch across the sky.
- Altostratus.
- Altocumulus.
- Cumulus.
- Cumulonimbus.
- Stratocumulus.
How can you tell the difference between clouds?
How to Identify Cloud Types
- Stratus clouds are uniform grayish clouds that often cover the sky. Usually no precipitation falls from stratus clouds, but they may drizzle.
- Cirrus clouds are thin, wispy clouds blown by high winds into long streamers.
- Cumulus clouds are puffy and can look like floating cotton.
What do altocumulus clouds look like?
Altocumulus clouds have several patchy white or gray layers, and seem to be made up of many small rows of fluffy ripples. They are lower than cirrus clouds, but still quite high. They are made of liquid water, but they don’t often produce rain.
Why rain clouds are dark?
Clouds are visible accumulations of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the Earth’s atmosphere. When it’s about to rain, clouds darken because the water vapor is clumping together into raindrops, leaving larger spaces between drops of water. Less light is reflected. The rain cloud appears black or gray.
Why do clouds turn pink?
Red, orange and pink clouds occur almost entirely at sunrise and sunset and are the result of the scattering of sunlight by the atmosphere. The clouds do not become that color; they are reflecting long and unscattered rays of sunlight, which are predominant at those hours.
Do dark clouds mean rain?
Most clouds are white, but rain clouds are usually a darker shade of gray. The thicker a cloud gets, the less light can pass through it. So when you look up at a rain cloud, the base or bottom of it looks gray. But not all dark clouds bring rain, and sometimes this is hard to predict.
What do black clouds symbolize?
The symbolism of a black cloud is from weather-watching; dark clouds generally are indicators of stormy weather. Joe Btfsplk, a character in the comic strip Li’l Abner by Al Capp (1909–1979), always had a small, dark rain cloud hovering over his head to symbolize his bad luck.