Types of clouds worksheet
What are the 4 main types of clouds and describe each?
The Four Core Types of Clouds
- Cirro-form. The Latin word ‘cirro’ means curl of hair. …
- Cumulo-form. Generally detached clouds, they look like white fluffy cotton balls. …
- Strato-form. From the Latin word for ‘layer’ these clouds are usually broad and fairly wide spread appearing like a blanket. …
- Nimbo-form.
What are the types of clouds answer?
Cumulus, Stratus, and Cirrus. There are three main cloud types.
What are 5 cloud types?
Names for clouds
- Stratus/strato: flat/layered and smooth.
- Cumulus/cumulo: heaped up/puffy, like cauliflower.
- Cirrus/cirro: high up/wispy.
- Alto: medium level.
- Nimbus/Nimbo: rain-bearing cloud.
What are the 10 basic 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.
Which type of clouds give rain?
The prefix “nimbo-” or the suffix “-nimbus” are low-level clouds that have their bases below 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) above the Earth. Clouds that produce rain and snow fall into this category. (“Nimbus” comes from the Latin word for “rain.”) Two examples are the nimbostratus or cumulonimbus clouds.
What is a cloud and write its type and explain?
a cloud is a collection of water vapour and fine particles at a greater height in the sky formed due to the process of condensation according to International classification clouds are divided into three main types based on their attitudes above sea level they include cirrud, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus…
What are clouds called?
Cloud cross-classification throughout the homosphere
| Form Level | Stratiform non-convective | Cumuliform free-convective |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-level | Altostratus | |
| Towering vertical | Cumulus congestus | |
| Multi-level or moderate vertical | Nimbostratus | Cumulus mediocris |
| Low-level | Stratus | Cumulus humilis or fractus |
What are the 8 main types of clouds?
High cloud – cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus. Middle cloud – altostratus, altocumulus, nimbostratus. Low cloud – stratus, stratocumulus. Vertical – cumulus, cumulonimbus.
What are the three clouds called?
There are three main cloud types.
Why are there different types of clouds?
At a warm front, where a warm air mass slides over a cold air mass, the warm air is pushed upward forming many different types of clouds, from low stratus clouds to midlevel altocumulus and altostratus clouds, to high cirrus, cirrocumulus and cirrostratus clouds.
What are 5 facts about clouds?
Fun Facts about Clouds for Kids
- Tiny droplets of water in the air rise with warm air. As they rise, they get cooler. …
- Clouds are white because they reflect light from the sun. Gray clouds become so filled with water that they don’t reflect light. …
- Cumulus clouds look like fluffy tufts of cotton floating in the sky.
What are GREY clouds called?
Altostratus clouds are gray or blue-gray mid-level clouds composed of ice crystals and water droplets. The clouds usually cover the entire sky. Weather prediction: Be prepared for continuous rain or snow! Nimbostratus clouds are dark, gray clouds that seem to fade into falling rain or snow.
What are the biggest clouds?
Formation. Noctilucent clouds are composed of tiny crystals of water ice up to 100 nm in diameter and exist at a height of about 76 to 85 km (249,000 to 279,000 ft), higher than any other clouds in Earth’s atmosphere.
Why do clouds become grey?
When clouds are thin, they let a large portion of the light through and appear white. But like any objects that transmit light, the thicker they are, the less light makes it through. As their thickness increases, the bottoms of clouds look darker but still scatter all colors. We perceive this as gray.
Why are clouds white?
But in a cloud, sunlight is scattered by much larger water droplets. These scatter all colours almost equally meaning that the sunlight continues to remain white and so making the clouds appear white against the background of the blue sky.
Why do clouds float?
The water and ice particles in the clouds we see are simply too small to feel the effects of gravity. As a result, clouds appear to float on air. Clouds are composed primarily of small water droplets and, if it’s cold enough, ice crystals.
What colour are clouds at night?
At night, the luminance of clouds is usually too weak for colour vision; all perceptible clouds appear black to grey, except those illuminated by the Moon, which present a whitish appearance.
Why do clouds turn pink?
Excess dust and aerosols suspended in the atmosphere diffuse and scatter light and only the longer wavelength light remains, making the clouds appear pink color or a pinkish-red sky at night.
What do big fluffy clouds mean?
Cirrus clouds are wispy, feathery, and composed entirely of ice crystals. They often are the first sign of an approaching warm front or upper-level jet streak. Unlike cirrus, cirrostratus clouds form more of a widespread, veil-like layer (similar to what stratus clouds do in low levels).
What is the oldest cloud?
Astronomers have discovered the largest and oldest mass of water ever detected in the universe — a gigantic, 12-billion-year-old cloud harboring 140 trillion times more water than all of Earth’s oceans combined.
What is a black cloud called?
Cumulonimbus (Cb)
Under the base of this cloud which is often very dark, there are often low ragged clouds that may or may not merge with the base. They produce precipitation, which sometimes is in the form of virga. Cumulonimbus clouds also produce hail and tornadoes.