How do clouds form

How do clouds form?: 

How do clouds form? By Mr. D’Angelone

Learning Objective: 

Learning Objective Students will describe how clouds form. Identify kinds of clouds.

Key Terms: 

Key Terms Cirrus cloud Cumulus cloud Stratus cloud

Cloud Formation : 

Cloud Formation From space, Earth sometimes seems to be covered with clouds. Clouds form from condensation in the atmosphere. Water droplets and ice form around dust and other particles in the air. Many billions of tiny water droplets and ice crystals form clouds. A cloud's shape is determined by how it formed.

Kinds of Clouds : 

Kinds of Clouds There are three basic kinds of clouds. Light, feathery clouds are called cirrus clouds. They are made up of ice crystals. They sometimes form at heights above 10,000 m.

Cumulus Clouds: 

Cumulus Clouds Big, puffy clouds are called cumulus clouds. They form from rising currents of warm air that build to great heights. The base is usually flat.

Stratus Clouds: 

Stratus Clouds Sometimes the sky is covered with a layer of sheet-like clouds. These are stratus clouds. Stratus clouds form layer upon layer, usually at low altitudes.

Fog: 

Fog A cloud that forms near the ground is fog. Fog forms from condensation. At night, the ground cools quickly. It cools the layer of air that lies above it. The air may be cooled to the dew point. If it is, the water vapor condenses and forms fog.

Slide9: 

Thick blankets of fog can cover valleys or other low areas. Sometimes fog forms over rivers and lakes. This happens when cool air moves in over warm water.

Cumulonimbus Clouds: 

Cumulonimbus Clouds Cumulonimbus clouds are cumulus clouds that are often associated with thunderstorms. Updrafts can raise a cumulonimbus cloud to heights taller than Mount Everest. As the clouds rise, their tops become flattened against the tropopause, the top of the troposphere. This large, flat top resembles a blacksmith's anvil. An anvil is a good indication that a thunderstorm is coming.

Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with thunderstorms.: 

Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with thunderstorms.

Checking Concepts: 

Checking Concepts What are light, feathery clouds called? What are sheet-like, layered clouds called? What kinds of clouds are large and puffy?

Answers: 

Answers Cirrus clouds Stratus clouds Cumulus clouds

The End: 

The End