By Isabel Bohrer

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Clouds

• By Isabel Bohrer

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What Are Clouds?
(Simple Answer These things. Scientifically,
though)

• Clouds are just what happens if moisture-laden
  air cools down to the point of saturation, or dew
  point.

The air can cool down two ways by the decrease
of the air pressure when the air has to rise, or
when warm air and cool air mix.
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Types of Clouds
Of
Clouds
Types
Blue High Clouds PurpleMedium Clouds GreenLow
Clouds Red/OrangeOther

• Cumulus
• Stratus
• Nimbostratus
• Stratocumulus
• Cumulonimbus
• Fog

• Cirrus
• Cirrostratus
• Cirrocumulus
• Altocumulus
• Altostratus

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The Clouds
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Ci
Cirrus
Cirrus clouds are thin, wisplike clouds that form
higher than 26,000 feet (8000 meters) above the
Earth. They are made of ice crystals.
At these heights, contrails from airplanes turn
into cirrus clouds.
If there are many cirrus clouds in the sky, the
weather will probably change within 24 hours.
Unfortunately, cirrus clouds trap heat in our
atmosphere. This heat getting trapped is called
the greenhouse effect, which is a prominent
factor in climate change.
There are cirrus clouds on Mars!
Picture taken by the Mars Rover Opportunity
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Cirrostratus
Cs
Cirrostratus clouds are formed of ice crystals.
They can be slightly transparent (even though
they can be thousands of feet thick), and
sometimes the only way to tell that they are in
the sky is to look for the telltale halo around
the sun or the moon. This halo is caused by the
sunlight refracting off the ice crystals
It is a high cloud, and the base can start
anywhere from 1700035000 feet (5,180-10,670
meters).
Cirrostratus clouds may come 12-24 hours before
snow or rain
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Cirrocumulus
CC
Cirrocumulus clouds are little white tufts
without grey shadows.
Unlike the other high-level clouds, cirrocumulus
clouds contain very cold water drops as well as
ice crystals. The water freezes quickly, so
cirrocumulus clouds are often short-lived.
Cirrocumulus often are formed around
16,000-40,000 feet (4,880. -4,270 meters)
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Altocumulus
Ac
Altocumulus clouds are mainly formed of water
drops.
They can either appear as parallel bands of cloud
or rounded clumps of cloud.
They are located between 6,500-20,000 feet
(1,980-6,100 meters) high.
Altocumulus clouds can come before a cold front
or (on humid summer mornings) before a
thunderstorm. If these clouds are higher, they
can produce rain or snow.
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Altostratus
As
Altostratus clouds usually fill the whole sky,
though the sun can be seen through them. These
clouds are flat, usually grey, and have an
altitude between 6,500 and 20,000 feet
(1,980-6100 meters)
Altostratus are made of ice crystals. They are
rain/snow clouds.
They are lighter than nimbostratus but are darker
than cirrostratus.
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Cumulus
Cu
Cumulus clouds are puffy white piles of water
drops (down low) and ice crystals (higher up).
Cumulus are located below 6,500 feet (2,000
meters) in the sky.
Most of the time, cumulus clouds forecast
pleasant weather, but, if they are tall and thin,
they may turn into cumulonimbus. If this
happens, the clouds can produce rain, lightning,
hail, and sometimes even tornadoes!
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Stratus
St
Stratus clouds are flat, grey clouds that block
the view of the sun from Earth.
These clouds are made of water drops.
Stratus form below 6,000 feet (2,000 meters).
The most amount of rain/snow that these clouds
will bring is a drizzle.
Above a stratus cloud is more interesting
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Nimbostratus
Ns
Nimbostratus clouds are low rain/snow clouds.
Nimbostratus are flat and grey.
They are normally below 8000 feet (2400 meters),
but they can pile up to 15,000 feet (4,500 meters)
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Stratocumulus
Sc
Stratocumulus clouds are normally below 8,000
feet (2,400 meters) in altitude.
These clouds are not piled very high, and are
often seen in groups of round clouds. The groups
can be linear, wavy, or just clusters.
If the sky is full of stratocumulus, but there
isnt any rain, the sky will either remain
overcast or clear slowly.
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Cumulonimbus
Cb
These clouds are where thunderstorms originate.
Cumulonimbus can be many miles wide at the base.
With a range of 6,500-60,000 feet (2,00016,000
meters), the height of cumulonimbus clouds can
cover both the areas of low and middle clouds.
Cumulonimbus are often made from cumulus clouds,
which is why they are so tall.
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Fog
If the fog developed overnight, theres a chance
of it clearing. If not, itll remain foggy for
awhile.
The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits
looking over harbor and city on silent
haunches and then moves on. --Carl Sandburg
Fog is the only cloud that touches the ground.
Fog occurs when the humidity is around 100
Fog and mist are not the same thing. If something
is fog, it must reduce visibility to 1 kilometer,
whereas mist must only reduce visibility to 2
kilometers.
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The End!