Cloud Formation & Its Types with Pictures-

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Cloud Formation & Its Types with Pictures-Meaning PDF-Geography Notes

One of the most common sights in nature are the clouds. In terms of weather, they
are simply visible masses of tiny water droplets and a whole branch of study called
cloud physics is dedicated to understanding this cotton candy-looking
phenomenon.

Table of Contents
 How are clouds formed
 Sources of Water Vapour
 Why are clouds so important
 Types of Clouds
o High Cloud
 Cirrus Clouds
 Cirrocumulus Clouds
 Cirrostratus Clouds
o Medium Clouds
 Altocumulus Clouds
 Altostratus Clouds
o Low Clouds
 Stratocumulus Clouds
 Stratus Clouds
 Nimbostratus Clouds
o Greater extend Clouds
 Cumulus Clouds
 Cumulonimbus Clouds
 Thing to know
 Clouds Formation & Its types PDF

How are clouds formed

Kid’s understanding about Clouds formation :
When the sun shines over rivers, lakes and oceans of the world, it heats up the
surface of water. The water turns into water vapour on being heated and begins to
rise into the air. As it goes higher, the water vapour begins to cool down and turns
back into water droplets.
 Tiny droplets of water hang suspended in the earth’s atmosphere.
The water vapour condenses into water to form clouds.
The clouds becomes heavy after some time due to accumulated water.
Gravity brings the accumulates water down as rain.
Clouds appear white because they allow light to pass through it. Since
sunlight is white, the water droplets simply act like a canvas upon which the
sun throws its rays.

When trillion of water droplets get together in one clouds, they allows less and
less light to pass through it (i.e. Gray clouds block sunlight). Thus giving it
a dark gray hue. This is also how we know that it is about to rain.

Mature understanding about Clouds formation :

Warm air rises up and that is known as updraft and finally on rising up it becomes
cool. At a certain temperature it gets saturated and once the air is saturated, it
takes the form of cloud and finally that cloud ultimately rains down. So this is how
we understand the formation of clouds. Usually clouds are formed around the dust
nuclei or smaller particles around which the water condenses up.
The study of clouds is known as nephrology or cloud physics. Now the most
interesting classification was given by Luke Howard and he gave a detailed
classification named as cloud categorization system and this was laid forward in
1802.
Stato – means that layered and have no vertical development.
cumulus – means that puffy and have vertical development.

Sources of Water Vapour

Various sources from which water vapour is added to the air are given below.
Evaporation from oceans, lakes and rivers,
water bodies or wet land,
precipitation
wind convergence over water or moist ground into areas of upward motion,
transpiration from plants significance of plants
daytime heating leading to evaporation of water from the surface of oceans,
Why are clouds so important
Help to regulate energy of earth balance by reflecting and scattering solar
radiation and by absorbing Earth’s infrared energy.
Required for precipitation to occur.
Play a major role in the heat budget of the earth.
An essential part of the hydrologic cycle.
Types of Clouds
Clouds are classified with types of clouds.Each cloud you see can be put into one of
the many categories based on both their general shape and how high up they are in
the atmosphere.
 High Cloud
Cirrus Clouds

These clouds form above 20,000 feet (6,000 meters).

Fibrous and wisps like in blue sky
Since the temperatures are extremely low at such high elevations, these
clouds are primarily composed of ice crystals.
Often called as ‘mare tails’.
High-level cloud are typically thin and white in appearance with fuzzy edges
that look like feathers.
Indicates fair weather and gives brilliant sunset.
These clouds are so high in the sky that these made up of ice crystals.
Cirrocumulus Clouds
 Appears as small, rounded white puffs of cotton with a flat bottom like white
globular mass.
The small ripples in the cirrocumulus sometimes resemble the scales of a fish.
Sky with these clouds also known as  ‘Mackeral sky’
These are nearer to the earth than cirrus clouds.
Cumulus white clouds means a fair day.
Cumulus dark clouds signals rain.
Cirrostratus Clouds

Lowest clouds in sky.

Flat in shape.
Resembles like thin white sheet or veil that often cover the entire sky.
These are so thin that the sun and the moon can be seen through them.
Sky looks milky
They are often dark and signal rain.
When these clouds are very close to the ground, they are called fog.
Sun and moon shines in it with a characteristic ‘halo’.
Medium Clouds
Altocumulus Clouds
 Wooly and bumpy clouds arranged in layers.
These clouds are made up of water droplets and appear as grey, puffy
masses, sometimes rolled out in parallel waves or bands.
These are greyish- white with one part of the cloud darker than the other.
Appears like waves in blue sky.
Usually form in groups
If you see altocumulus clouds on a warm sticky morning, then expect
thunderstorms by late afternoon.
Indicates fine weather.
Altostratus Clouds

These are grey or bluegrey middle level clouds composed of ice crystals and
water droplets.
Altrostratus clouds ‘strato’ type clouds having flat and uniform texture.
Altostratus clouds themselves don’t produce precipitation at the surface.
They frequently indicate warm wave front.
These clouds usually cover the entire sky. In the thinner areas of the cloud,
the sun may be dimly visible as a round disk.
Altostratus clouds often forms ahead of storms that produces continuous
precipitation.
Denser, greyish clouds with ‘watery look’.
Fibrous and striated structure through which sun’s rays shine faintly.
Low Clouds
Stratocumulus Clouds
 Rough, bumpy cloud
Waves more pronounced then altocumulus clouds
Great contrast between bright and shaded regions.
Stratus Clouds

Very low clouds, uniform grey and thick that cover entire sky.
Usually associated with moist & dull weather
Low-level clouds, closest to earth.
No definite form
These resemble fog that does not reach the ground.
Usually no precipitation falls from stratus clouds, but sometimes they may
drizzle.
Reduces visibility of aircraft
When a thick fog “lifts,” the resulting clouds are low stratus.
Nimbostratus Clouds

Dark dull cloud, clearly layered

Known as Rain cloud
Brings continuous rain, snow or sleet.
These often produce precipitation that is usually light to moderate.
These completely overcast sky. Rain (Snow in winter) will likely occur within
the hour.
Greater extend Clouds
Cumulus Clouds
 Vertical cloud with rounded top and horizontal base.
The base of each cloud is often flat and may be only 1000 m (330 ft) above
the ground.
Found in humid tropical regions.
When the top of the cumulus resembles the head of a cauliflower, it is called
cumulus congestus or towering cumulus.
Associated with up-rising conventional currents.
These clouds grow upward, and they can develop into a giant cumulonimbus,
which is a thunderstorm cloud.
Fair weather cloud
Cumulonimbus Clouds

These clouds have a flat, anvil-shaped top, which is caused due to strong
wind shear at a height of about 15-22 Km.
Extends tremendous vertical height from a base of 2k to over 30k ft.
Cauliflower top and spreads out like an ‘Anvil’.
Their tops may extend upward to over 12,000 m (39,000ft).
Referred as thunder clouds.
Tremendous amount of energy is released by the condensation of water
vapour within a cumulonimbus.
Brings convectional rains accompanied by clouding and thunder, violent
tornadoes.
Thing to know
Clouds are classified according to form,height and appearance.
 High Clouds – Cirrus (20k-40k ft)
Medium Clouds – Alto (7k-20k ft)
Low clouds – Stratus (sheet like) (below 7k ft)
Greater vertical extend – Cumulus (heap like) (No definite height)
Nimbus – Rain related clouds
Clouds Formation & Its types PDF
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link.