| Stratus | Cumulus | Cirrus |
|
|
|
|
Types of Clouds
There are three general cloud types. If you were to look into the sky this very minute, you might see a cloud that doesn't look like the status, cumulus or cirrus clouds described below. Clouds are a combination and variations of the three general types. Some variations of the three general types are altocumulus and alto stratus. To learn to identify these other cloud types can be an enjoyable pastime.
The word status comes from the Latin word that means "to spread out". Stratus clouds are horizontal, layered clouds that stretch out across the sky like a blanket. Sometimes a layer of warm, moist air passes over a layer of cool air. Stratus clouds often form at the boundary where these layers meet. Where two such layers of air meet, the warm air is cooled. If the warm air is cooled below its dew point, the excess water vapor condenses to form a blanket-like layer of status clouds. If the layers of air are very large, the stratus clouds may extend for many kilometers across the sky.
The word cumulus comes from the Latin word for a heap or a pile. Cumulus clouds are puffy in appearance. They look like large cotton balls. Cumulus clouds usually form when warm, moist air is forced upward. As this air rises, it is cooled. If it is cooled below below its dew-point temperature, condensation will occur. The size of a cumulus cloud depends on the force of the upward movement of air and the amount of moisture in the air. The largest cumulus clouds are caused by very strong upward movements or warm, moist air. The clouds that produce heavy thunderstorms in summer are a form of cumulus clouds called cumulonimbus. Cumulonimbus clouds may extend upward for hundreds of meters.
Cirrus clouds are a third general type of cloud. The word cirrus comes from the Latin word for a tuft or curl of hair. Cirrus clouds are very wispy and feathery looking. They form only at high altitudes, about 7 km above the earth's surface. Cirrus clouds are composed of ice crystals adn are so thin that sunlight can pass right through them.
