Cloud Formations
...oduce condensation. Stratus clouds can also form when a layer of air is cooled from below its dew point and water vapor condenses it into liquid droplets. If you have ever seen fog before you have seen stratus clouds. The second the fog reaches just above ground level they are known as stratus clouds. The upward motion for precipitation is very weak so it hardly ever produces falling precipitation, but you might catch a glimpse of falling mist or drizzle. Cumulus clouds are formed when water vapour condensation is very strong with upward air currents above the earth’s surface. There are usually large spaces between the clouds in which you can see blue sky. Most of the time they look as if they are lumpy on the top and flat on the bottom. Cumulus clouds are relatively thin and form within 6,000 feet of the ground or lower and usually bring nice weather when the arrive. That is until they become unstable with strong upward winds. With this they can grow extremely large and turn into thunderstorms also known as cumulonimbus clouds. If the thunderstorms form cumulonimbus clouds that are below 6,000 feet can grow up to 50,000 feet. Cirrus clouds are wispy thin clouds that can form above 18,000 feet. If you watch these clouds they usually travel from west to east and generally point to nice weather. Mare’s Tails are the westerly wind that pushes these clouds along their route. Cirrus clouds form when ice crystals form and water vapour undergoes deposition. They are known to be very thin because they form in higher levels of atmosphere where little water vapour is present. Cirrus clouds also normally form with clouds known as cirrocumulus. Cirrocumulus clouds form above 18,000 feet as well and look like small round puffs that form in rows across the sky. To distinguish the difference between the two clouds you have to look for a rippling pattern. If you see it then they are known as cirrocumulus clouds. They also rarely cover the whole sky. People know these clouds as the most beautiful clouds of all because when the sun is setting you see every colour of the rainbow in the ripples. Cirrostratus clouds also form along with cirrocumulus and cirrus. They look like thin round sheets and form above 18,000 feet. The clouds are so thin that at night you can clearly see stars and the moon and during the day, the sun though the clouds. You might not even know they are there so one of the ways to distinguish their arrival is to see a thin White halo around the sun or moon. You see a halo because the clouds have ice crystals that bend the sun or moons rays as they pass through the cloud. These clouds signal rain in the next 24 hours especially if mid- level clouds follow them and usually bring a bright white appearance to the sky. Altocumulus clouds form between 6,000 to 20,000 feet. They normally look like gray puff balls floating across the sky in parallel waves or bands. Cirrocumulus clouds are usually higher up above the altocumulus clouds. One of the easier ways to distinguish the difference...