How do clouds form How do clouds form

How do clouds form?

How do clouds form? • Clouds form when water vapor in the air condenses to form liquid water or ice crystals. (pg 57)

What do we need to make a cloud? • Water vapor • Air temperature at Dew Point • The presence of other particles – Dust – Smoke – Sea salt – pollution

How are clouds classified? Scientists use 2 traits to classify clouds: • Shape • Altitude

Classifying by SHAPE • Clouds (like galaxies) are classified by their shape: – Cirrus (feathery) – Cumulus (fluffy) – Stratus (layered; blanket-like)

Classifying by ALTITUDE • Use prefixes to tell what altitude clouds form at – Strato- low – Alto- middle – Cirro- high

6 cloud types 3 major cloud types: • Cirrus • Stratus • Cumulus Other: • Cumulonimbus • Nimbostratus • Fog

Task • Your task is to work with your group members to research the following in your textbook: – Description of the cloud (what it looks like) – The weather it brings – A sketch of the cloud

Cirrus clouds • Type: cirrus • Description: feathery; made of ice crystals • Weather: fair • Usually form very high in the troposphere

Stratus clouds • Type: stratus • Description: layered, blanket-like • Weather: precipitation likely

Cumulus clouds Type: cumulus Description: puffy Weather: fair

Cumulonimbus clouds • Type: cumulonimbus • Description: towering • Weather: thunderstorms

The “Anvil” shape occurs when the cloud hits the edge of the troposphere and flattens out.

Name: Nimbostratus Description: a stratus cloud that IS precipitating Weather: It’s raining! (duh)

Fog • Name: Fog • Description: “ground cloud” • Weather: it depends (variable)

Stratocumulus clouds (puffy + spread out)

The “Alto”s- clouds that form at middle altitudes Altostratus Altocumulus Alto- clouds form below cirrus clouds but are still above a tenor!