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clouds

clouds. How do they form?. Clouds form as warm air is forced upward, expands, and cools. When warm, moist air cools, the water vapor turns into liquid droplets or freezes into ice crystals depending on the temperature. These droplets and crystals come together to form…clouds!.

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clouds

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  1. clouds

  2. How do they form? • Clouds form as warm air is forced upward, expands, and cools. • When warm, moist air cools, the water vapor turns into liquid droplets or freezes into ice crystals depending on the temperature. • These droplets and crystals come together to form…clouds!

  3. How are they classified? • By SHAPE and HEIGHT • The shape and height of clouds depends on: temperature, pressure, and the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. • By the way…how many layers of the atmosphere are there?

  4. What shapes do clouds come in? • 3 main cloud shapes: • STRATUS form layers, or smooth even sheets in the sky • CUMULUS puffy, white clouds with flat bottoms • CIRRUS curly, wispy, and look like they are made of thin fibers

  5. Stratus clouds… • Form layers, or smooth even sheets in the sky • Usually at low altitudes below 2,ooom • Often cover large areas & block out sun, Can mean continuous heavy rain or steady drizzle. • Fog is a type of stratus cloud that is very low to the ground • Strato- is a prefix that describes low altitude clouds

  6. cumulus clouds… • White, puffy clouds, with flat bottoms • Form when warm air rises • Usually at mid-altitudes (2000-6000m), but sometimes tower to great heights • Usually means fair weather or thunderstorms (cumulonimbus clouds)

  7. cirrus clouds… • Curly, wispy, and look like they are made of thin fibers • Form when the wind is strong, usually indicate a possible change in weather. • Usually at high altitudes (6,000-8,000m) • Usually mean fair weather, but can indicate approaching storms • Made of ice crystals • Cirro- is a prefix that describes high altitude clouds

  8. Cloud prefixes… • Clouds are also classified by their height: • Cirro- = high clouds • Alto- = mid-elevation clouds • Strato- = low clouds • EXAMPLE: cirrostratus clouds are high clouds that look like flat sheets or layers in the sky

  9. Last, but not least… • Some clouds are known as “rain clouds”: • Clouds associated with precipitation often have the word NIMBUS attached to them. • Nimbus is Latin for “dark rain cloud” • Nimbus clouds are generally found at very low altitudes • EXAMPLE: When a cumulus cloud grows into a thunderstorm, it is called a cumulonimbus cloud. Nimbostratus clouds are layered rain clouds.

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