Clouds Part 3 ( Low-level clouds )

Stratus clouds are composed of thin layers of clouds covering a large area of the sky. This is simply mist or fog when it forms close to the ground. You can easily distinguish a stratus cloud by the long horizontal layers of cloud which have a fog-like appearance. Continue...

The clouds form from large air masses that rise to the atmosphere and later condense. These are pretty benign in terms of rainfall producing light showers or even light snow if the temperatures fall below freezing. However, if enough moisture is retained at the ground level, the cloud can transform into a nimbostratus. Stratus clouds are very common all over the world most especially in the coastal and mountainous regions.

CUMULUS

It’s the most recognizable out of all the types of clouds.These adorable ‘piles of cotton’ form a large mass with a well-defined rounded edge, which explains the name ‘cumulus’ which is Latin for ‘heap’. Cumulus clouds

Cumulus clouds are a sign of fair weather, though they may discharge rains sometimes in form of a light shower. You can find them virtually everywhere in the world expected for the Polar regions.

CUMULONIMBUS

Cumulonimbus is fluffy and white like cumulus but the cloud formations are far larger. It’s a vertical developing type of cloud whose base grows from one to up to eight kilometers, hence it’s commonly called a tower cloud. For the same reason, cumulonimbus is both a low-level and high-level type of cloud. At the low-altitude base, the cloud is mostly made of water droplets but the high-altitude summit is dominated by ice crystals

The rain comes and goes with this cloud but when it does, it can come pouring. When you see a cumulonimbus, you know there’s a thunderstorm waiting to happen somewhere.

Cumulonimbus clouds can be seen most commonly during the afternoons of summer and spring months when the Earth’s surface releases heat.

STRATOCUMULUS

Stratocumulus looks like a thick white blanket of stretched out cotton. They resemble cumulus clouds except they’re far bigger. The base is well-defined and flat but the upper part of the cloud is ragged due to convection with the cloud itself.  Depending on the thickness of the cloud, a stratocumulus will have light to dark gray hues.

People often think rain is imminent when they see these clouds. In reality, you’ll be lucky to get a light drizzle out of them.

Credit: zmescience