clouds

Question 1

Stratocumulus

Answer 1

(Up to 6,500 feet)
low, puffy, grayish or whitish clouds that occur in patches with blue sky visible in-between. When viewed from underneath, stratocumulus have a dark honeycomb appearance.
They form when there’s weak convection in the atmosphere.

Question 2

Altocumulus

Answer 2

(6,500 to 18,000ft)
white or gray patches that dot the sky in large rounded masses or are aligned in parallel bands.
They look like the wool of sheep or scales of mackerel fish—hence their nicknames “sheep backs” and “mackerel skies.”
Altocumulus are often spotted on warm and humid mornings, especially during summer. They can signal thunderstorms to come later in the day. You may also see them out ahead of cold fronts, in which case they signal the onset of cooler temperatures.

Question 3

Cumulus

Answer 3

(below 6,500ft)
the clouds you learned to draw at an early age and that serve as the symbol of all clouds .
Their tops are rounded, puffy, and a brilliant white when sunlit, while their bottoms are flat and relatively dark.
Cumulus develops on clear, sunny days when the sun heats the ground directly below . This is where it gets its nickname “fair weather” cumulus. It appears in late morning, grows, then disappears towards evening.

Question 4

Stratus

Answer 4

(Up to 6,500 feet)
Stratus hang low in the sky as a flat, featureless, uniform layer of grayish cloud. It resembles fog that hugs the horizon (instead of the ground).
Stratus are seen on dreary overcast days and are associated with light mist or drizzle.

Question 5

Nimbostratus

Answer 5

(Up to 6,500 feet) Nimbostratus clouds cover the sky in a dark gray layer. They can extend from the low and middle layers of the atmosphere and are thick enough to blot out the sun.
Nimbostratus is the quintessential rain cloud.

Question 6

Altostratus

Answer 6

(6,500 feet up to 18,000 feet)

Altostratus appear as gray or bluish-gray sheets of cloud that partially or totally cover the sky at mid-levels.
Even though they cover the sky, you can typically still see the sun as a dimly lit disk behind them, but not enough light shines through to cast shadows on the ground.

Question 7

Cirrocumulus

Answer 7

small, white patches of clouds often arranged in rows that live at high altitudes and are made of ice crystals.
much smaller than that of altocumulus and stratocumulus, and often look like grains.

Question 8

Cirrostratus

Answer 8

transparent, whitish clouds that veil or cover nearly the entire sky

Question 9

Cirrus

Answer 9

(above 18,000 ft)

thin, white, wispy strands of clouds that streaks across the sky

Question 10

Cumulonimbus

Answer 10

span the low, middle, and high layers.

Cumulonimbus clouds are thunderstorm clouds