Clouds Weather

What are clouds? A mass of water droplets or ice crystals that floats in the air. When warm air rises and cools, the water vapor in air condenses and forms water droplets. These droplets form clouds!

Main Types of Clouds Three main types: Cirrus Cumulus Stratus These types of clouds may combine to form many other types of clouds. Clouds will tell you how the weather will change.

Cirrus Clouds White and feathery They form high in the sky Made entirely out of ice crystals What do they mean? Snow or rain is coming within a day.

Cumulus Clouds Thick, white, and fluffy Look like cotton balls. See them a lot on summer days Form lower than cirrus clouds. Made of only water droplets What do they mean? Fair weather

Stratus Clouds Layers of gray clouds Cover most of the sky Form very low in the sky If it forms in the ground, we get fog. What does it mean? Rain or snow is coming

Cumulonimbus clouds Sometimes the term “nimbus” is added to a cloud What does it mean? A cloud is heavy and dark. It will bring rain. Cumulonimbus clouds are what we see in summer thunderstorms