Clouds and Precipitation

Question 1

What cloud develops as a consequence of local convection?

Answer 1

Cumulus

Question 2

Which cloud type would most likely be responsible for producing heavy rain?

Answer 2

Cumulonimbus

Question 3

What cloud exhibits considerable vertical development?

Answer 3

Cumulonimbus

Question 4

What clouds typically have low bases?

Answer 4

• Stratus
• Stratocumulus
• Fog
• Nimbostratus

Question 5

What cloud is composed of ice crystals?

Answer 5

Cirrus

Question 6

Which cloud type is the coldest?

Answer 6

Cirrus

Question 7

Which cloud type is the warmest?

Answer 7

Stratus

Question 8

What type of precipitation has the greatest terminal velocity?

Answer 8

A large hailstone

Question 9

Which clouds produce precipitation in midlatitudes?

Answer 9

Nimbostratus or cumulonimbus

Question 10

How many cloud droplets does it take to form a single raindrop?

Answer 10

1 million

Question 11

What are warm clouds composed of?

Answer 11

Tiny water droplets

Question 12

What type of frozen precipitation is sometimes produced by a summer thunderstorm?

Answer 12

Hail

Question 13

How much meltwater would be produced from 100cm of fresh snowfall?

Answer 13

10cm

Question 14

What type of precipitation has the lowest terminal velocity?

Answer 14

Cloud droplets

Question 15

What does the fall velocity of spherical precipitation depend on?

Answer 15

The radius

i.e. velocity increases as the radius (size) increases

Question 16

What does the fall velocity of flat precipitation depend on?

Answer 16

Nothing, it’s generally constant

Question 17

How does a raindrop increase in size?

Answer 17

(Collision-Coalescence Process) Larger droplet falls faster and collides with the smaller droplets in its path.
-Colliding droplets merge to increase the size of the larger droplet

Question 18

How does a snowflake increase in size?

Answer 18

(Bergeron-Findeisen Process) Ice crystals grow at the expense of supercooled water droplets.

Question 19

What is the smallest type of precipitation?

Answer 19

Drizzle

Question 20

What is the largest type of precipitation?

Answer 20

Hail

Question 21

What is a HAILCAST?

Answer 21

A numerical model to predict hail growth