HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS

CIRRUS CLOUDS- are thin and feathery and can be seen in clear skies.
This clouds are the highest of all clouds. They are formed when there is no
moisture in the air.

CIRROCUMULUS CLOUDS- These usually form at about 5 km above the

surface with small white fluff patterns that spread out for miles and miles over the sky.
They’re sometimes called ‘mackerel skies’ because they can sometimes have a grayish color
which makes the clouds look a bit like fish scales.
CIRROSTRATUS CLOUDS - have a sheet-like appearance that can look
like a curly blanket covering the sky. They’re quite translucent which makes it easy for the
sun or the moon to peer through. Their color varies from light gray to white and the fibrous
bands can vary widely in thickness. Purely white cirrostratus clouds signify these have stored
misture, indicating the presence of a warm frontal system.

ALTO CUMULUS CLOUDS- form at a lower altitude so they’re largely

made of water droplets though they may retain ice crystals when forming higher up. They
usually appear between lower stratus clouds and higher cirrus clouds, and normally precede
altostratus when a warm frontal system is advancing. When altocumulus appears with
another cloud type at the same time, storm normally follows.
ALTOSTRATUS CLOUDS- often spread over thousands of square
miles and are strongly linked to light rain or snow. Though they’re not capable
of yielding heavy rain it’s common for altostratus clouds to morph into
nimbostratus clouds which are packed with moisture and can deliver a
pounding.

NIMBOSTRATUS CLOUDS- The name Nimbostratus comes from

the Latin words nimbus which means “rain” and stratus for “spread out”. These
gloomy clouds are the heavy rain bearers out there forming thick and dark
layers of clouds that can completely block out the sun. Though they belong to
the middle-level category, they may sometimes descend to lower altitudes.
LOW LEVEL CLOUDS

STRATUS CLOUDS- overcast the skies and indicate a light rainy

weather. This cloud type is formed when large air masses cool and form mist.

CUMULUS CLOUDS- It’s the most recognizable out of all the types of
clouds.These adorable ‘piles of cotton’ form a large mass with a well-defined
rounded edge, which explains the name ‘cumulus’ which is Latin for ‘heap’.
CUMULONIMBOS CLOUDS- is fluffy and white like cumulus but the
cloud formations are far larger. It’s a vertical developing type of cloud whose base grows
from one to up to eight kilometers, hence it’s commonly called a tower cloud. For the same
reason, cumulonimbus is both a low-level and high-level type of cloud. At the low-altitude
base, the cloud is mostly made of water droplets but the high-altitude summit is dominated
by ice crystals.

STRATOCUMULUS- looks like a thick white blanket of stretched out

cotton. They resemble cumulus clouds except they’re far bigger. The base is
well-defined and flat but the upper part of the cloud is ragged due to convection
with the cloud itself. Depending on the thickness of the cloud, a stratocumulus
will have light to dark gray hues.
 PROJECT IN SCIENCE 4

DIFFERENT TYPES OF
CLOUDS

Ryezus R. Dimaano
Grade 4
Teacher Nilda