The prefix “nimbo-” or the suffix “ -nimbus ” are low-level clouds that have their bases below 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) above the Earth. Clouds that produce rain and snow fall into this category. (“Nimbus” comes from the Latin word for “rain.”) Two examples are the nimbostratus or cumulonimbus clouds.
What are dark rain clouds called?
Nimbostratus clouds are dark, gray clouds that seem to fade into falling rain or snow. They are so thick that they often blot out the sunlight.
What are the different clouds called?
- Stratus/strato: flat/layered and smooth.
- Cumulus/cumulo: heaped up/puffy, like cauliflower.
- Cirrus/cirro: high up/wispy.
- Alto: medium level.
- Nimbus/Nimbo: rain-bearing cloud.
What are weather clouds called?
| Cloud Group Cloud Height Cloud Types | High Clouds = Cirrus Above 18,000 feet Cirrus Cirrostratus Cirrocumulus |
|---|
What are Heavy rain clouds called?
If enough atmospheric instability, moisture, and lift are present, then strong updrafts can develop in the cumulus cloud leading to a mature, deep cumulonimbus cloud , i.e., a thunderstorm producing heavy rain.
What are the 4 major types of clouds?
- Cirro-form. The Latin word ‘cirro’ means curl of hair. ...
- Cumulo-form. Generally detached clouds, they look like white fluffy cotton balls. ...
- Strato-form. From the Latin word for ‘layer’ these clouds are usually broad and fairly wide spread appearing like a blanket. ...
- Nimbo-form.
Why are clouds white?
Clouds are white because light from the Sun is white . ... But in a cloud, sunlight is scattered by much larger water droplets. These scatter all colours almost equally meaning that the sunlight continues to remain white and so making the clouds appear white against the background of the blue sky.
What is the rarest cloud?
Kelvin Helmholtz Waves are perhaps the rarest cloud formation of all. Rumored to be the inspiration for Van Gogh’s masterpiece “Starry Night”, they are incredibly distinctive. They are mainly associated with cirrus, altocumulus, and stratus clouds over 5,000m.
Why do clouds turn pink?
Red, orange and pink clouds occur almost entirely at sunrise and sunset and are the result of the scattering of sunlight by the atmosphere . ... The clouds do not become that color; they are reflecting long and unscattered rays of sunlight, which are predominant at those hours.
Why do clouds turn GREY?
When clouds are thin, they let a large portion of the light through and appear white. But like any objects that transmit light, the thicker they are, the less light makes it through. As their thickness increases , the bottoms of clouds look darker but still scatter all colors. We perceive this as gray.
Is fog a cloud?
Fog is a cloud that touches the ground . ... Fog shows up when water vapor, or water in its gaseous form, condenses. During condensation, molecules of water vapor combine to make tiny liquid water droplets that hang in the air. You can see fog because of these tiny water droplets.
What is the biggest type of cloud?
Cirrus clouds are the highest of all clouds and are composed entirely of ice crystals. Cirrus clouds are precipitating clouds, although the ice crystals evaporate high above the earth’s surface.
What is the lowest type of cloud?
Low-level clouds ( cumulus, stratus, stratocumulus ) that lie below 6,500 feet (1,981 m) Middle clouds (altocumulus, nimbostratus, altostratus) that form between 6,500 and 20,000 feet (1981–6,096 m) High-level clouds (cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus) that form above 20,000 feet (6,096 m)
What are the three types of cloud?
Cumulus, Stratus, and Cirrus . There are three main cloud types.
Which two types of clouds produce rain?
The prefix “nimbo-” or the suffix “-nimbus” are low-level clouds that have their bases below 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) above the Earth. Clouds that produce rain and snow fall into this category. (“Nimbus” comes from the Latin word for “rain.”) Two examples are the nimbostratus or cumulonimbus clouds .
How high can clouds go?
Cloud Ceiling Definition
High clouds have base heights of 3,000 to 7,600 meters (10,000 to 25,000 ft) in polar regions, 5,000 to 12,200 meters (16,500 to 40,000 ft) in temperate regions, and 6,100 to 18,300 meters (20,000 to 60,000 ft) in the tropical region.
