Clouds

Clouds are visible accumulations of tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the Earth's atmosphere. Clouds differ greatly in size, shape, and color. They can appear thin and wispy, or bulky and lumpy.

Clouds form when the air becomes saturated, or filled, with water vapor. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air, so lowering the temperature of an air mass is like squeezing a sponge. Clouds are the visible result of that squeeze of cooler, moist air. Moist air becomes cloudy with only slight cooling. With further cooling, the water or ice particles that make up the cloud can grow into bigger particles that fall to Earth as precipitation.

Because certain types of clouds are associated with certain types of weather, it is possible to forecast the weather by observing and understanding these different types of clouds.

Clouds are classified into three main groups: cirrus, stratus, and cumulus.

Cirrus clouds are wispy, curly, or stringy. They are found high in the atmosphere—typically higher than 6,000 meters (20,000 feet)—and are usually made of ice crystals. Cirrus clouds usually signal clear, fair weather. Their shape often indicates the direction the wind is blowing high in the atmosphere. 

Stratus clouds are horizontal and stratified or layered. Stratus clouds can blanket the entire sky in a single pattern. They usually occur close to the Earth. Stratus clouds often form at the boundary of a warm front, where warm, moist air is forced up over cold air. This movement produces clouds as the moist air is cooled across the entire front. The presence of stratus clouds usually means a chilly, overcast day. If precipitation falls from stratus clouds, it is usually in the form of drizzle or light snow.

Cumulus clouds are large and lumpy. Their name comes from the Latin word meaning "heap" or "pile." They can stretch vertically into the atmosphere up to 12,000 meters (39,000 feet) high. Cumulus clouds are created by strong updrafts of warm, moist air. Most forms of heavy precipitation fall from cumulus clouds. The weather they bring depends on their height and size. The higher the base of a cloud is, the drier the atmosphere and the fairer the weather will be. Clouds located close to the ground mean heavy snow or rain.

Certain types of clouds produce precipitation. Clouds also produce the bolt of electricity called lightning and the sound of thunder that accompanies it. Lightning is formed in a cloud when positively charged particles and negatively charged particles are separated, forming an electrical field. When the electrical field is strong enough, it discharges a superheated bolt of lightning to the Earth. Most of what we consider to be single lightning strikes are in fact three or four separate strokes of lightning.