CLOUDS

Essential Question How do meteorologists predict the weather? How Do Clouds Form? What are Three Main Types of Clouds?

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How Do Clouds Form? Clouds form when water vapor in the air condenses to form liquid water or ice crystals.

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What are clouds made of? All clouds are made up of tiny water droplets and ice crystals that float in the earth’s atmosphere.

Why are clouds White? The ice crystals that form the cloud reflect sunlight. Clouds appear white because they reflect this sunlight. This is because the tiny particles of water in the cloud are so close to each other that sunlight cannot infiltrate deep into the cloud.

Why are storm clouds grey? When the drops of water turn larger, then light can penetrate inside the cloud. This light is not reflected back and it remains absorbed (reflected upwards.) Therefore, the color of the cloud then appears of a different shades such as gray or even black when seen from the Earth!

What are Three Main Types of Clouds? The three main types of clouds are based on their shape Cirrus Cumulus Stratus

High Clouds Cirrus clouds Thin, wispy clouds blown by high winds into long streamers. They are considered "high clouds“ They generally mean fair to pleasant weather.

Cumulus Clouds puffy clouds that sometimes look like pieces of floating cotton. Cumulus means “heap” The top of the cloud has rounded towers. When the top resembles the head of a cauliflower, it is called a towering cumulus. These clouds grow upward, and are thunderstorm clouds.

Middle Clouds "Alto" Clouds Altocumulus clouds are middle level clouds that appear as gray, puffy masses Alto means “high” Indicate thunderstorms

Cirrocumulus clouds Cirrus means “curl”. small, rounded white puffs. The small ripples in the cirrocumulus sometimes resemble the scales of a fish. A sky with cirrocumulus clouds is sometimes referred to as a "mackerel sky."

Cumulonimbus clouds Thunderstorm clouds that continue to grow vertically. Dark bases with tremendous amounts of energy. Lightning, thunder, and even violent tornadoes are associated with the cumulonimbus. Cumulus means “heap” Nimbus means “rain”

Low Clouds Stratus clouds are grayish clouds that often cover the entire sky. They may drizzle. Stratus means “spread out”. When a thick fog "lifts," the resulting clouds are low stratus.

Altostratus clouds Gray or blue-gray middle level clouds composed of ice crystals and water droplets. 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 form ahead of storms.

Nimbostratus clouds A dark gray, "wet" looking cloud with continuously falling rain or snow. Nimbus means “rain”

Cirrostratus clouds Thin, sheet like high clouds that often cover the entire sky. They are so thin that the sun and moon can be seen through them.

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Activity

Cloud Match Game http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/cloudmatch.html

Cloud Concentration Game http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/concentration/concen2.html

Home Learning Complete Lesson 1 Assess Your Understanding Review & Assessment #1-3 Page 223 Fairchild #2 10/23 Cloud Chart 10/27 Tombstone 10/27 Extra Credit 10/27-28