Clouds and Precipitation Flashcards
What cloud develops as a consequence of local convection?
Cumulus
Which cloud type would most likely be responsible for producing heavy rain?
Cumulonimbus
What cloud exhibits considerable vertical development?
Cumulonimbus
What clouds typically have low bases?
- Stratus
- Stratocumulus
- Fog
- Nimbostratus
What cloud is composed of ice crystals?
Cirrus
Which cloud type is the coldest?
Cirrus
Which cloud type is the warmest?
Stratus
What type of precipitation has the greatest terminal velocity?
A large hailstone
Which clouds produce precipitation in midlatitudes?
Nimbostratus or cumulonimbus
How many cloud droplets does it take to form a single raindrop?
1 million
What are warm clouds composed of?
Tiny water droplets
What type of frozen precipitation is sometimes produced by a summer thunderstorm?
Hail
How much meltwater would be produced from 100cm of fresh snowfall?
10cm
What type of precipitation has the lowest terminal velocity?
Cloud droplets
What does the fall velocity of spherical precipitation depend on?
The radius
i.e. velocity increases as the radius (size) increases
What does the fall velocity of flat precipitation depend on?
Nothing, it’s generally constant
How does a raindrop increase in size?
(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
How does a snowflake increase in size?
(Bergeron-Findeisen Process) Ice crystals grow at the expense of supercooled water droplets.
What is the smallest type of precipitation?
Drizzle
What is the largest type of precipitation?
Hail
What is a HAILCAST?
A numerical model to predict hail growth
