Cumulus clouds

What are the three types of clouds? What is the height of a cumulonimbus cloud? The tops of these clouds are mostly brilliant white tufts. Their name derives from the Latin cumulo-, meaning heap or pile.

Cumulonimbus clouds are born through convection, often growing from small cumulus clouds over a hot surface. They get taller and taller until they represent huge powerhouses, storing the same amount of energy as Hiroshima-sized atom bombs. They can also form along cold fronts as a result of forced convection, where milder air is forced to rise over the incoming cold air. The Latin term cumulus means heap, which aptly describes the cumulus cloud formations.

Larger cumulus clouds often exhibit cauliflower-shaped summits. They are considered as the low level clouds. Altocumulus clouds are small mid-level layers or patches of clouds , called cloudlets , which most commonly exist in the shape of rounded clumps. There are many varieties of altocumulus, however,. They resemble the cumulus clouds from which they grow, except they rise into towers with bulging upper portions that look like cauliflower.

This splits clouds into three main types - stratus, cumulus and cirrus. Find the perfect cumulus clouds distance stock photo. No need to register, buy now!

Cirrus clouds are short, detache hair-like clouds found at high altitudes. These delicate clouds are wispy, with a silky sheen, or look like tufts of hair. In the daytime, they are whiter than any other cloud in the sky. While the Sun is setting or rising, they may take on the colours of the sunset. They form when wind shear causes horizontal circulation in the atmosphere, producing the long, tubular cloud streets.

These cloud streets cover vast areas and may be broken or continuous. Cumulus clouds can form in lines stretching over 4kilometres (300 mi) long called cloud streets. Arcus clouds are spectacular low-level, long and thin clouds associated with powerful thunderstorms. Shelf clouds are attached to the storm cloud , whereas Roll clouds are a horizontal column separated from the storm cloud.

Their wispy shape comes from wind currents which twist and spread the ice crystals into strands. Weather prediction: A change is on its way! Mammatus clouds are usually formed in association with large cumulonimbus clouds.

Typically, turbulence within the cumulonimbus cloud will cause mammatus to form, especially on the underside of the projecting anvil as it rapidly descends to lower levels. This reverses the usual cloud -forming process of upward growth, making for an uneven cloud base. Cirrocumulus is one of the three main genus-types of high-altitude tropospheric clouds, the other two being cirrus and cirrostratus.

They usually occur at an altitude of kilometres (1000 ft) to kilometres (3000 ft). Like lower altitude cumuliform and stratocumuliform clouds, cirrocumulus signifies convection. When these clouds are rising, they come across an inversion layer beyond which they no longer remain buoyant. On reaching this layer, they spread sideways.

The condensation of water vapor stored in these clouds depends on the temperature of the surrounding air. Cumulus mediocris (upper right, mediocris = moderate) are cumulus clouds which show some vertical development. There is a hint that the atmosphere could be destabilizing a bit and may produce rain, but at this stage it will remain dry. Cumulus congestus (lower left) are clouds with considerable vertical development. Clouds are visible mass of.

Cumulus humilis clouds usually form during fair weather conditions and therefore, the nickname ‘fair-weather cumulus’ or simply, ‘fair-weather clouds’. As in case of other cloud types, even cumulus clouds form when water vapor rises in the air and condenses above the surface of the Earth. This type of cloud is a cumulus cloud.

It appears big, white, and. The main difference between these types of clouds is that cumulus clouds can become storm clouds. Not so with cirrus clouds. Record the pronunciation of this word in your own voice and play it to listen to how you have pronounced it. Image caption Cumulus congestus.

Often the scene of dull, overcast days in its 'nebulosus' form, they can persist for long periods of time. Stratus clouds are low-level layers with a fairly uniform grey or white colour.