Transcript Cirro-cumulus clouds

As time goes by, and water goes through the water cycle
again and again, the amount of water on Earth _______.
A. Increases
B. Decreases
C. Stays the same
D. Goes up and down
Snow and hail are examples of ________________.
A. Runoff
B. Precipitation
C. Condensation
D. Water vapor
The picture shows a glass of cold water. There are water
drops on the outside of the glass. Where did the water
come from?
A. It leaked through the glass.
B. It was sweat from a person.
C. The glass was tipped over by someone.
D. It condensed from the warmer air meeting the cold glass
 Name A, B, and C?
Copyright © 2010 Ryan P. Murphy
https://mysteryscience.com/weather/mystery-1/water-cycle-phases-ofmatter/46?r=5874857#slide-id-1181
6.E.2B.1
Analyze and interpret data
from weather conditions
(including wind speed and
direction, air temperature,
humidity, cloud types, and air
pressure), weather maps,
satellites, and radar to predict
local weather patterns and
conditions.

A cloud is composed of tiny
water droplets (or ice
crystals) that are suspended
in the air.

If the droplets become large
enough, they may be visible
as a cloud or fog.

The process behind cloud
formation is called
condensation.

Clouds are referred to as
either low, mid, or high-level
clouds.

This classification depends
on where they are in the
troposphere.
Clouds
Importance of Clouds
• So, what is a cloud?
~ It is a thick mass of suspended water
drops or ice crystals.
• What do clouds tell us?
~ The presence of clouds in the sky is
one type of signal to meteorologists that
there will be changes in the weather.
Predicting the weather requires the
understanding of the different types of
clouds
Identifying Clouds
To better communicate and understand the many
cloud forms in the sky, meteorologists identify
clouds based on five basic cloud characteristics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The altitude at which they occur
Color
Density
Shape
Degree of cover.
From this information, we can identify three
basic cloud types and seven other common cloud
types.
•Clouds that form from the condensation
of water vapor are classified by a basic
shape and associated weather conditions
and patterns. Clouds can be classified in
three major groups: cirrus, cumulus,
stratus
Types of Clouds Video 3:19
Clouds and Forecasting Video 2:01
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Cumulus
· Clouds formed at medium
or low elevation.
· Cumulus clouds are puffy
with flat bottoms.
· When cumulus clouds are
white they often signal fair
weather, but when they are
darker, they may signal rain
or thunderstorms.
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Cumulus clouds
Stratus
•Clouds formed at
medium or low
elevation; spread out
layer upon layer
covering a large area
•As stratus clouds
thicken, precipitation
usually occurs over
that area.
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Stratus Clouds
Low lying Stratus
Fog
Cirrus
•Clouds formed at
high elevations; wispy
clouds usually
consisting of ice
crystals that signal fair
weather or may also
signal an approaching
warm front.
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Cirrus Clouds
•Combinations of those shapes can be used with
nimbus, which means “rain”, for example,
cumulonimbus or nimbostratus.
•A cumulonimbus cloud, also called a thunderhead,
is often part of thunderstorm conditions that may
accompany a cold front.
•The prefix alto- may also be used to indicate
medium-level clouds formed at about 2-6
kilometers up into the atmosphere, for example,
altocumulus or altostratus.
•Clouds that form when condensation occurs at or
near the ground are called fog.
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Cloud Type by Altitude
Clouds can also be classified based on their
altitude
There are three categories of cloud heights:
High Clouds = Cirrus
Middle Clouds = Alto
Low Clouds = Stratus
Rain Clouds = Nimbo (Nimbus)
At or near the ground = fog.
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Cirrocumulus clouds
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Altostratus
Clouds
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Altocumulus
Clouds
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Cumulonimbus
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Fog
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Cloud Cover Symbols
• You will often
see the circles
drawn on a
weather map
Copy in your
notes
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Write a paragraph
about one type of
cloud. Include 3 or
more facts and an
illustration about the
cloud.