1.4.2.

CLOUDS
- Mass of SMALL WATER DROPLETS or TINY ICE CRYSTALS that FLOAT IN THE AIR
- Formed when the temperature of the air is BELOW THE DEW POINT
- White in color because droplets and crystals scatters sunlight. Appeared grey when blocking
the sunlight.
- Classified on the basis of their shape and height.

1.4.3. TYPES OF CLOUDS

1. HIGH CLOUDS
- Made of ice crystals due to the cold air in the upper sky.
- The base of a high cloud above the surface can be anywhere from 6000-18000M IN THE
TROPICS TO 3000-8000M IN THE POLAR REGIONS

a. CIRRUS CLOUDS
- CIRRUS clouds are the MOST COMMON OF THE HIGH
CLOUD (5000-13000M) group. They are composed entirely
of ice and consist of long, thin, wispy streamers. They are
commonly known as "MARE'S TAILS” because of their
appearance.
- Cirrus clouds are usually WHITE AND PREDICT FAIR
WEATHER.

b. CIRROSTRATUS
- Belong to the High Cloud (5000-13000m) group. They
are SHEET LIKE THIN CLOUDS that usually COVER THE
ENTIRE SKY.
- The sun or moon can shine through cirrostratus clouds.
Sometimes, the SUN OR MOON WILL APPEAR TO HAVE A
HALO around it when in the presence of cirrostratus. The ice
crystals from the cloud refracts the light from the sun or moon,
creating a halo. This halo is the width of your hand when you
hold it out at arm's length.
- Cirrostratus clouds usually come 12-24 HOURS
BEFORE A RAIN OR SNOW STORM. This is especially true
if Middle group clouds are associated with it.

C. CIRROCUMULUS
- They are SMALL ROUNDED PUFFS that usually
APPEAR IN LONG ROWS. Cirrocumulus are USUALLY
WHITE, but SOMETIMES APPEAR GRAY.
Cirrocumulus clouds are the same size or smaller than the
width of your littlest finger when you hold up your hand at
arm's length.
- If these clouds COVER A LOT OF THE SKY, it is called
a "MACKEREL SKY" because the sky looks like the
scales of a fish. Cirrocumulus are usually SEEN IN THE WINTER TIME and INDICATE
FAIR, BUT COLD WEATHER.
2. MIDDLE CLOUDS
- The middle cloud group consists of ALTOSTRATUS and ALTOCUMULUS clouds. Middle
clouds are made of ICE CRYSTALS AND WATER DROPLETS. The base of a middle cloud
above the surface can be anywhere FROM 2000-8000M IN THE TROPICS TO 2000-4000M
IN THE POLAR REGIONS.

a. ALTOSTRATUS CLOUDS
- An altostratus cloud USUALLY COVERS THE WHOLE
SKY and HAS A GRAY OR BLUE-GRAY
APPEARANCE. The sun or moon may shine through an
altostratus cloud, but will appear WATERY OR FUZZY.
- An altostratus cloud usually FORMS AHEAD OF STORMS
WITH CONTINUOUS RAIN OR SNOW. Occasionally,
RAIN WILL FALL FROM AN ALTOSTRATUS CLOUD.
If the rain hits the ground, then the cloud becomes classified
as a nimbostratus cloud.

b. ALTOCUMULUS
- They are GRAYISH-WHITE WITH ONE PART OF THE
CLOUD DARKER THAN THE OTHER. Altocumulus clouds usually
FORM IN GROUPS AND ARE ABOUT 1 KM THICK.
- Altocumulus clouds are about as wide as your thumb when you
hold up your hand at arm's length to look at the cloud.
- If you see altocumulus clouds on A WARM HUMID
MORNING, then EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS BY LATE
AFTERNOON.

3. LOW CLOUDS
- Low clouds consist of WATER DROPLETS. The base of a low cloud is FROM THE
GROUND SURFACE TO 2000M.

a. STRATUS CLOUDS
- They are UNIFORM GRAY IN COLOR AND CAN COVER MOST
OR ALL OF THE SKY. Stratus clouds can LOOK LIKE A FOG that
DOESN'T REACH THE GROUND.
- LIGHT MIST OR DRIZZLE is sometimes associated with stratus
clouds.

b. STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS
- Stratocumulus clouds belong to the Low Cloud (surface-2000m)
group. These clouds are LOW, LUMPY, AND GRAY. These
clouds can LOOK LIKE CELLS UNDER A MICROSCOPE -
sometimes they line up in rows and other times they spread out.
- Only LIGHT PRECIPITATION, generally in the form of
DRIZZLE, occurs with stratocumulus clouds.
- To distinguish between a stratocumulus and an altocumulus
cloud, point your hand toward the cloud. If the cloud is about the
size of your fist, then it is stratocumulus.
c. NIMBOSTRATUS
- They are DARK GRAY WITH A RAGGED BASE. Nimbostratus clouds are associated with
CONTINUOUS RAIN OR SNOW. Sometimes they cover the whole sky and you CAN'T SEE
THE EDGES OF THE CLOUD.

4. CLOUDS WITH VERTICAL GROWTH

- Clouds with vertical growth include CUMULUS and CUMULONIMBUS clouds. These
clouds grow high up into the atmosphere rather than spreading across the sky. They SPAN
ALL LEVELS OF THE TROPOSPHERE and can EVEN RISE UP INTO THE
STRATOSPHERE.
- Clouds with vertical growth develop by warm air rising from the surface. Cumulus and
cumulonimbus clouds provide some of the most interesting and severe weather on Earth.

a. CUMULUS CLOUDS
- They are PUFFY WHITE OR LIGHT GRAY CLOUDS that
LOOK LIKE FLOATING COTTON BALLS. Cumulus
clouds have SHARP OUTLINES AND A FLAT BASE.
Cumulus clouds generally have a base height of 1000m and
a width of 1km. Cumulus clouds can be associated with
GOOD OR BAD WEATHER. CUMULUS HUMILIS
clouds are associated with FAIR WEATHER. CUMULUS
CONGESTUS clouds are usually associated with BAD
WEATHER. Their TOPS LOOK LIKE CAULIFLOWER HEADS and MEAN THAT LIGHT
TO HEAVY SHOWERS CAN OCCUR.
- Here's a tip on how to know if you see a cumulus cloud in the sky. Cumulus cloud cells (the
individual puffs of clouds) are about the size of your fist or larger when you hold up your
hand at arm's length to look at the cloud.

b. CUMULONIMBUS
- They are generally known as THUNDERSTORM
CLOUDS. A cumulonimbus cloud can GROW UP TO
10KM HIGH. At this height, high winds will flatten the
top of the cloud out into an anvil-like shape.
Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with HEAVY RAIN,
SNOW, HAIL, LIGHTNING, AND TORNADOES.

5. UNUSUAL CLOUDS

a. LENTICULAR CLOUDS
- LENTICULAR clouds form on the downwind side of
mountains. Wind blows most types of clouds across the sky, but
lenticular clouds seem to STAY IN ONE PLACE. Air moves
up and over a mountain, and at the point where the air goes past
the mountaintop the lenticular cloud forms, and then the air
evaporates on the side farther away from the mountains

b. KELVIN-HELMHOLTZ
- KELVIN-HELMHOLTZ clouds look like BREAKING
WAVES IN THE OCEAN. After wind blows up and over a
barrier, like a mountain, the air continues flowing through
the atmosphere in a pattern that looks like a wave.
 - These clouds form when there is a difference in the wind speed or direction between two wind
currents in the atmosphere.

c. MAMMATUS
- MAMMATUS clouds are POUCHES OF CLOUDS
THAT HANG UNDERNEATH THE BASE OF A CLOUD.
They are usually seen with cumulonimbus clouds that
PRODUCE VERY STRONG STORMS.
- Mammatus clouds are sometimes described as looking
like a FIELD OF TENNIS BALLS OR MELONS, or like
FEMALE HUMAN BREASTS. In fact, the name "mammatus" comes from the Latin word
mamma, or breast, because of this.

d. CONTRAILS
- The WHITE STREAKS YOU SEE COMING OFF
HIGH-FLYING JET AIRPLANES are called contrails,
which is short for TRAIL. clouds when CONDENSATION
Contrails that water are formed vapor condenses and freezes
around small particles that exist in aircraft exhaust. The
water vapor comes from the air around the plane and the
exhaust of the aircraft.
- Some contrails evaporate quickly while others stay in the sky for a long time after the airplane
is gone. These contrails can become human- made cirrus clouds Contrails last longer when
there is a greater amount of water in the air; they last until the water in the clouds evaporates.
- There are three types of contrails: SHORT-LIVED, PERSISTENT NON- SPREADING,
AND PERSISTENT SPREADING

SHORT-LIVED CONTRAILS:
- If the air is somewhat moist, a contrail will form right
behind the airplane and make a bright white line that lasts
for a short while.

PERSISTENT NON-SPREADING
- If the air is very moist, a contrail will form
behind an airplane and stay in the sky for a long time. This type
of contrail will stay in the sky long after the airplane has flown
out of sight. It can last for a few minutes or longer than a day,
and it keeps its shape of a thin line.

PERSISTENT SPREADING CONTRAILS

- These contrails form when a persistent contrail spreads
out. They grow wider and fuzzier as time passes.
Sometimes contrails will actually take on the
characteristics of a natural cirrus cloud and no longer
look like contrails, so they become clouds. human-made