Cloud Identific

ation

High Clouds

• High

• Thin, whispy, feather-like

• Made of ice crystals

• May have been blown off top of cumulonimbus

Cirrus

More Examples of Cirrus Clouds

•High

•Thin but puffy

•Often in wave-like patterns

•Ice

•Sign of turbulant winds

•Fast moving

Cirrocumulus

More Examples of Cirrocumulus Clouds

Middle Altitude Clouds

•Middle altitudes

•Puffy, patchy

•Often in rows to form “cloud streets”

•Often occur in advance of a storm

Altocumulus

More Examples of Altocumulus Clouds

•Middle altitudes

•Light grey

•Uniform

•Covers most of sky

•Water droplets

•May indicate changing wind and weather

More Examples of Altostratus Clouds

Low Altitud

e Clouds

•Low

•Puffy, fluffy

•Looks like cotton balls, cauliflower

•Fair-weather clouds

•Flat bottoms

More Examples of Cumulus Clouds

•Low

•Light or dark grey

•Uniform

•Covers most of sky

•Fog is a stratus cloud

More Examples of Stratus Clouds

•Low but towering

•May have anvil shape on top

•Storm clouds

•May have thunder, hail, lightening or tornadoes

More Examples of Cumulonimbus Clouds

Some other Cool Cloud Types:Lenticular Clouds • Form at high

altitudes and are generally aligned at right angles to the wind. Where stable moist air flows over a mountain or a range of mountains, a series of large-scale standing waves may form on the downwind side. Lenticular clouds sometimes form at the crests of these waves

More Lenticular Clouds

Still more…..incredible!!

Wave CloudsThese clouds are formed between two layers of air, with different densities, traveling at different speeds. Therefore, if a warm, less dense layer exists over a layer of colder, denser air, and the wind shear across the two layers is strong enough, eddies will develop along the boundary.

Awesome Clouds!!

Go forth and seek clouds!!!!