The clouds of the upper tier are. Clouds - Types and forms of clouds

Earth - there are, of course, clouds. A variety of shapes and types of clouds simply cannot but delight. It would seem how these dissimilar clouds can be classified? It turns out you can! And very simple. You yourself have probably noticed more than once that some clouds form very high in the sky, while others are much lower against their background. It turns out that different clouds form in the sky at different heights. Those types of clouds that are almost invisible, have a translucent color and the shape of threads, moving along the Sun or Moon, practically do not weaken their light. And those that are below have a denser structure and almost completely hide the Moon and the Sun.

How are clouds formed? As we have already said, clouds are air, or rather warm air that rises from the earth's surface from reaching a certain height, the air cools, and the steam is converted into water. This is what clouds are made of.

But what determines the shape and types of clouds? And it depends on the height at which the cloud formed and the temperature that is there. Let's take a closer look different types clouds.

Silvery - are formed at an altitude of 70-90 km from the surface of the earth. They are a fairly thin layer that is barely visible against the sky at night.

Mother-of-pearl clouds - are located at an altitude of 20-30 km. Such clouds form relatively rarely. They can be seen before the Sun rises, or when it is already setting below the horizon.

Cirrus - located at an altitude of 7-10 km. Thin white clouds that look like tangled or parallel threads.

Cirrostratus clouds - are located at a distance of 6-8 km from the earth. They are a veil of white or blue.

Cirrocumulus - also located at an altitude of 6-8 km. Thin clouds of white color that look like a cluster of flakes.

Altocumulus clouds - 2-6 km. Weakly translucent layer of clouds in the form of waves of white, gray or blue. Light rainfall is possible from this type of cloud.

Altostratus - 3-5 ka above the ground. They are a veil, sometimes fibrous in appearance. Light rain or snow is possible from them.

Stratocumulus clouds - 0.3-1.5 km. This is a layer with a well-defined structure, similar to a plate or a wave. From such clouds fall small precipitation in the form of snow or rain.

Layered clouds - are located at an altitude of 0.5-0.7 km. Homogeneous, opaque layer of gray color.

Layered rain - located at an altitude of 0.-1.0 km from the ground. A continuous, opaque shroud of dark gray. These clouds produce snow or rain.

Cumulus clouds - 0.8-1.5 km. They have a gray, flat-looking base and dense, domed tops of white. As a rule, there is no precipitation from this type of cloud.

Cumulus- rain clouds- 0.4-1.0 km. It is a whole array of clouds, which has a dark blue base and a white top. Such clouds bring precipitation - showers, thunderstorms, hail or snow pellets.

Whenever possible, peer into the sky, and you will very soon learn to distinguish not only the forms, but also the types of clouds.

The concept of "cloudiness" refers to the number of clouds observed in one place. Clouds, in turn, are called atmospheric phenomena formed by a suspension of water vapor. The classification of clouds includes many of their types, divided by size, shape, nature of formation and altitude.

In everyday life, special terms are used to measure cloudiness. Expanded scales for measuring this indicator are used in meteorology, maritime affairs and aviation.

Meteorologists use a ten-point cloud scale, which is sometimes expressed as a percentage of coverage of the observable sky (1 point - 10% coverage). In addition, the height of cloud formation is divided into upper and lower tiers. The same system is used in maritime affairs. Aeronautical meteorologists use a system of eight octants (parts of the visible sky) with a more detailed indication of the height of the clouds.

A special device is used to determine the lower boundary of the clouds. But only aviation weather stations are in dire need of it. In other cases, it is visual assessment height.

Cloud types

Cloudiness plays an important role in the formation weather conditions. Cloud cover prevents the Earth's surface from heating and prolongs the process of its cooling. Cloud cover significantly reduces daily temperature fluctuations. Depending on the amount of clouds at a certain time, several types of cloudiness are distinguished:

1. "Clear or partly cloudy" corresponds to cloudiness of 3 points in the lower (up to 2 km) and middle tiers (2 - 6 km) or any amount of clouds in the upper (above 6 km).
2. "Changing or variable" - 1-3/4-7 points in the lower or middle tier.
3. "With clearings" - up to 7 points of total cloudiness of the lower and middle tiers.
4. "Overcast, cloudy" - 8-10 points in the lower tier or not translucent clouds on average, as well as with precipitation in the form of rain or snow.

Types of clouds

The world classification of clouds distinguishes many types, each of which has its own Latin name. It takes into account the shape, origin, height of education and a number of other factors. The classification is based on several types of clouds:

• Cirrus clouds are thin filaments of white. They are located at an altitude of 3 to 18 km, depending on the latitude. They consist of falling ice crystals, to which they owe their appearance. Among the cirrus at a height of over 7 km, clouds are divided into cirrocumulus, altostratus, which have a low density. Below, at an altitude of about 5 km, there are altocumulus clouds.
• Cumulus clouds are dense formations of white color and a considerable height (sometimes more than 5 km). They are located most often in the lower tier with vertical development in the middle. Cumulus clouds at the upper boundary of the middle tier are called altocumulus.
• Cumulonimbus, showers and thunderclouds, as a rule, are located low above the Earth's surface 500-2000 meters, are characterized by precipitation in the form of rain, snow.
• Stratus clouds are a layer of low-density suspended matter. They let in the light of the sun and moon and are at an altitude of between 30 and 400 meters.

Cirrus, cumulus and stratus types, mixing, form other types: cirrocumulus, stratocumulus, cirrostratus. In addition to the main types of clouds, there are other, less common ones: silvery and mother-of-pearl, lenticular and vymeform. And clouds formed by fires or volcanoes are called pyrocumulative.

Another trip to our beloved global network puzzled me. The more I read, the more I understand how the most simple and banal things can be interesting.

Take at least the clouds. Who didn't dream of riding them as a child? We believed it was possible. After all, they are definitely soft and pleasant to the touch.

Later, when studying physics, each of us was disappointed when we learned the nature of clouds. It turned out that the clouds are not soft, fluffy and pleasant. These are droplets of water or ice crystals in the atmosphere. They are also often referred to as cloud elements. What, it turns out, different temperatures The composition of the clouds can be different. Clouds are made up of water droplets if the air temperature exceeds ?10 °C. These are ordinary rain clouds. If it is lower than this, but higher? 15 ° C, then the composition of the clouds includes both droplets and small crystals. By the way, these are the clouds that send us wet snow or snow and rain. When the temperature in the cloud is below −15 °C, the cloud consists entirely of crystals, which turn into snowflakes.

However, in a cloud, the crystals and droplets are very small. And where do the huge flakes of snow and large drops of spring rain come from? Everything is quite simple. Gradually, the number of elements in the cloud increases. The elements merge with each other, forming droplets and snowflakes. Clouds increase and when a critical mass is reached, precipitation begins to fall.

Precipitation usually does not fall from homogeneous clouds, but from those that have a mixed composition of at least one layer. These are, for example, cumulonimbus, stratified-nimbus, high-stratified. Although light precipitation in the form of drizzle or light fine snow can also fall from homogeneous clouds, for example, from stratus.

Most often, clouds form and are observed in the lower layer of the atmosphere, called the troposphere. Rarely clouds are observed at an altitude of 20-25 kilometers. Such clouds have received a special name - mother-of-pearl clouds. Very rarely, clouds climb to a height of 70-80 kilometers. They also have their own name - silver.

Despite the huge number of all kinds of bizarre forms of clouds in the traposphere, classifying them is quite simple. Even according to appearance.

Cirrus clouds (Cirrus, Ci).

In appearance, these are perhaps the lightest and most fragile clouds. They consist of thin white threads or shreds. Such clouds always have the form of elongated ridges. These are perhaps the highest altitude trapospheric clouds. They are usually observed in the upper layers of the traposphere (from 3 to 18 km above the earth, depending on latitudes). These clouds are notable for the fact that they can be quite large vertically (from hundreds of meters to several kilometers). Visibility inside the clouds is not very high: only 150-500 meters. The reason for this is that such clouds consist of fairly large ice crystals. Because of this, they have a noticeable fall rate. However, due to the wind, we see not vertical stripes, but shifted and intricately twisted threads. cirrus clouds.

Interestingly, such clouds often move ahead of the warm air mass. They also often accompany anticyclones. And sometimes they are even banal remnants of cumulonimbus clouds.

It is very interesting that the appearance of such clouds may indicate the upcoming heavy rain in about a day.

Cirrus clouds are also divided into several subspecies.

cirrocumulus clouds(Cirrocumulus, Cc).

These clouds are located as high as the previous view. From such clouds, we will never see precipitation. It is interesting at the same time that when such a cloud appears, we can safely say that a thunderstorm with a downpour is possible in a few hours. And sometimes a storm.

Such clouds are called "lambs" for their bizarre shapes in the form of small groups or rows of balls. Very often observed with pinnately stratified and pinnate.

The height of the bottom border is slightly higher than the previous view. It extends about 6-8 kilometers from the earth. The vertical length reaches a kilometer. However, visibility inside is much higher than cirrus clouds - from 5.5 to 10 kilometers.

In such clouds, a very interesting phenomenon is observed - iridization. It lies in the fact that the edges of the clouds acquire a rainbow color, which in itself is very beautiful.

Cirrostratus clouds (Cirrostratus, Cs).

These clouds are made up of ice crystals. They are very easy to recognize: they are a uniform whitish veil covering the sky. They usually appear almost immediately after the cirrus counterparts. Although their height is the same as in the previous species, they are much longer vertically than their counterparts. Their length ranges from 2 to 6 kilometers. Visibility inside the cloud is very low: from 50 to 200 meters. Like the previous two types, the appearance of such clouds promises an imminent change in the weather. They are followed by showers and thunderstorms. Why, you ask? Yes, everything is simple. All of the above types of clouds move ahead of a warm air mass, in which there is a lot of moisture. And she, in turn, is the source of rain.

Despite the fact that the clouds cover the sky with a veil, the light of the Sun and the Moon can pass through them. In this case, the rays are often distorted and such an interesting phenomenon as a halo is formed. It is a luminous ring around the Sun or Moon. But, unfortunately, this beautiful phenomenon is very short-lived, as the clouds begin to thicken very quickly.

An interesting fact is that the halo circle among the people was an omen of the coming rain. People believed that it was the Moon or the Sun that washed. And after the water procedures, the luminaries, according to a sign, poured soda on the ground.

Altostratus clouds (Altostratus, As).

Outwardly, they are a gloomy grayish or blue-gray veil, through which the sun sometimes peeps, although in the form of a shapeless blurry spot.

These clouds live, so to speak, lower than their counterparts already considered at about 3-5 kilometers above sea level. But they are also quite long vertically - from 1 to 4 kilometers. Visibility in them is very small - 25-40 meters. The composition of these clouds is not uniform. It includes both crystals and droplets of water, however, supercooled.

Unlike all of the above species, these clouds always fall in the form of rain or snow at any time of the year. Interestingly, the rain from such clouds does not reach the ground, but evaporates during the flight.

These clouds are followed by stratified rain brothers.

Altocumulus (Altocumulus, Ac).

These clouds are harbingers of early showers. They are in the form of small balls or plastins, which are arranged in rows or are collected in separate groups. Their colors are very different: from white to blue. Their length is small - only a few hundred meters. Visibility is also rather weak: only 50-70 meters. They are located in the middle layers of the stratosphere, about 2 to 6 kilometers above the earth. In addition to rain, such clouds bring cooling with them.

Nimbostratus clouds (Nimbostratus, Ns).

These are gloomy dark gray clouds that are a continuous layer. It seems that there is no end to it. Cloudy skies everywhere, from which it constantly pours rain. This goes on for quite some time.

They are much darker than their layered counterparts. Unlike all the clouds described above, these are located in the lower layers of the stratosphere. They hover almost above the ground at a distance of 100 meters, although their thickness can be up to several kilometers.

The movement of these clouds is accompanied by a strong and cold wind, the temperature drops.

Stratus clouds (Stratus, St).

This type of cloud is very similar to fog. They are located very low above the ground. The lower limit does not exceed hundreds of meters. Sometimes, when the clouds are flying very low, they can merge with normal fog.

Their maximum thickness is hundreds of meters. These clouds don't always bring rain. As soon as they thicken and get stronger, they will shed precious moisture on the ground. In this case, the rain will not be very strong and much shorter than the rain of nimbostratus clouds.

Stratocumulus clouds (Stratocumulus, Sc).

Such clouds do not always bring precipitation. They form when cold air replaces the warm one. In this case, moisture is not released, but rather absorbed. And there is no rain. They are mostly gray in color and are presented in the form of large waves and ridges, between which there are small gaps. They have an average width of 200-800 meters.

Cumulus clouds (Cumulus, Cu).

Sometimes they are called messengers of good weather. This is the type of cloud we see most often. White, bright, in the form of all kinds of figures, they amaze and develop our imagination. They have the form of a dome with a flat base or towers with rounded outlines. It is noteworthy that they are very wide - up to 5 kilometers or more.

Cumulonimbus clouds (Cumulonimbus, Cu).

These are very powerful clouds. Sometimes their width reaches 14 kilometers. These are clouds of thunderstorms, showers, hail and heavy wind. Most often, the word "clouds" is applied to these clouds. Sometimes they line up in the so-called squall line. Interestingly, the composition of the clouds varies depending on the height. If the lower layers consist mainly of water droplets, then the upper layers consist of ice crystals. They develop from powerful cumulus clouds, and their appearance does not bode well.

By the way, there are clouds not only on our planet. It turns out that wherever there is a gaseous shell, there are also clouds. But they do not consist of water, but, for example, of sulfuric acid.

Here is a video showing different clouds: (amazingly beautiful!)

Well, perhaps that's all I wanted to write about these white-maned horses this time.

Clouds fly across the sky, high above our heads. They often attract the attention of adults and children. There is nothing surprising in the fact that you may have many questions about how clouds appear, what they are made of, how they float in the sky, what they are, etc. In this article, you will get answers to all these questions and be able to satisfy your curiosity.

What are clouds made of?

Clouds are made up of many tiny water droplets or ice crystals floating in the sky at different heights.

How are clouds formed?

As the sun heats the water, it turns into a gas called water vapour. This process is called evaporation. As water vapor rises towards the sky, it cools. The higher, the cooler the air. Eventually, the vapor becomes cool enough to condense into water droplets, forming the clouds we see in the sky.

How do clouds float across the sky?

Clouds are lighter than ambient air. This means that they can literally float across the sky. At the same time, air flows can increase their speed.

When the clouds accumulate a lot of moisture and become heavy, it starts to rain, hail or snow.

Where do clouds meet?

Diagram of the main layers of the Earth's atmosphere

All major cloud types float in the troposphere; it is the lowest part closest to the earth. Above the troposphere is the stratosphere, and above are the mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere.

Why are clouds different?

There are 10 main types of clouds:

Cumulus clouds

They look like fluffy cotton balls. As a rule, cumulus clouds occur in calm clear days and point to good weather. However, under certain conditions, they can become thunderstorms.

stratus clouds

These are flat, grey, featureless layers that are often close to the Earth's surface, hiding the clouds above. Sometimes they can cause light rain. Fog is simply a stratus cloud that has descended to ground level. And when you walk in foggy weather, you are actually walking through the clouds.

Stratocumulus clouds

Stratus clouds can break up to form cumulus clouds. Or several cumulus clouds are able to join together, forming layers. The distance between them characterizes this type as stratocumulus clouds.

Altostratus clouds

Altostratus clouds are found in the middle of the troposphere. They are usually thinner and lighter than layered ones. If you look closely at the sky, you can see the sun's rays through such a cloud.

Altocumulus clouds

Like Altostratus, Altocumulus clouds are found in the middle of the troposphere. However, there is a difference, altocumulus clouds are much smaller than cumulus clouds and consist of both ice crystals and water droplets.

Spindrift clouds

Cirrus clouds are the highest level clouds, consisting entirely of ice crystals. These are thin clouds that look like a horse's tail.

cirrocumulus clouds

These are cumulus clouds at cirrus altitude. Cirrocumulus clouds are made up entirely of ice crystals. They are like small fish scales in the sky.

Cirrostratus clouds

Cirrostratus clouds are high in the sky. They can cause beautiful optical phenomena such as halo. The sun still shines brightly through these layers, even though the sky may be completely covered in them.

Nimbostratus clouds

Nimbostratus clouds produce prolonged rain or snow, which can be light to moderate. These tall stratus clouds exist at the low and middle levels of the troposphere.

Cumulonimbus clouds

Also known as "cloud kings", cumulonimbus clouds are responsible for very heavy rain and hail. Precipitation falls in a short period of time.

They are also the only clouds that can generate lightning and thunder. Cumulonimbus clouds are very high and often spread over different layers of the sky.

How to distinguish between cumulus, altocumulus and cirrocumulus clouds in the sky?

You can distinguish between these types of clouds with your hand. Extend your hand towards the cloud and close your fingers into a fist. If the cloud is larger than a fist, it is a cumulus cloud.

If the cloud is smaller than your fist, move your thumb out of the way. When the cloud is larger than a finger, it is altocumulus, and if it is smaller, it is most likely cirrocumulus.

Why are clouds white?

Clouds are white because the droplets inside them are larger than the particles around them. This makes the cloud droplets able to scatter and break light into various colors, which are then merged into white.

Clouds look gray when they are thick enough to block out sunlight.

What is an airplane contrail?

A contrail forms when planes pass through cool air. The release of warm humid air from the exhaust pipe of the aircraft causes a cloud trail in its path.

How to determine weather by clouds?

It is difficult to accurately predict the weather using clouds, but there are some indications that it can be done! If the clouds are high, dark and cover the entire sky, it will rain for a long time. When most of the sky is blue, you can expect some rain.

If the cumulus clouds get higher and higher, you may experience heavy showers in the evening or even thunder and lightning. However, this often happens on hot and humid days.

Upper clouds

(base height above 6 km)

Pinnate - Cirrus (cirrus)………………………………………. Ci

Cirrocumulus (cirrocumulus)………………. CC

Pinnately - layered - Cirrostratus (cirrostratus)…………………. Cs

Middle clouds

(base height 2-6km)

Altocumulus –Altocumulus (altocumulus)………………….Ac

Altostratus – Altostratus (altostratus)…………………… As

Lower clouds

(base height below 2 km)

Stratocumulus- Stratocumulus (Stratocumulus)………………..Sc

Layered - Stratus (stratus)………………………………………….. St

Layered rain - Nimbostratus (nimbostratus)…………….. Ns

Clouds of vertical development

Cumulus - Cumulus (cumulus) …………………………………… ..Сu

Cumulonimbus –Cumulonimbus (cumulonimbus)………………. Cb

The heights of the lower boundary (lower base) of clouds in the classification are indicated within the limits most often observed in temperate latitudes. The heights are indicative and vary significantly depending on the latitude of the place, the nature of the relief, the season, the synoptic situation, etc.

Upper clouds

They have a height of the lower border of 6 km and above. The upper boundary can reach the tropopause and the lower layers of the stratosphere. They consist of ice crystals, the sun and moon are clearly visible through them. They have three main forms.

Spindrift clouds. In appearance, usually individual filamentous clouds, due to their great distance, they appear very thin. As a rule, they are observed in small numbers, but sometimes they cover a significant part of the sky. The height of their lower boundary increases from north to south in temperate latitudes 7-10 km, in the tropics up to 17-18 km. Vertical extent from hundreds of meters to several kilometers, clouds are crystalline. Precipitation does not fall out of them.

Pristocumulus. They look like flakes or ripples grouped into waves. Often they become pinnate or pinnately stratified. The height of the lower boundary in temperate latitudes is from 6 to 8 km, the thickness is 0.2-0.4 km. They consist of small ice crystals, sometimes accompanied by iridescence - iridescent coloring of the edges of the clouds. Precipitation does not fall out of them.

Cirrostratus clouds. They are a cloudy veil, usually covering the entire sky. Sometimes a fibrous structure is visible in the shroud. The height of the lower boundary in temperate latitudes is 6-8 km, the vertical length is from several hundred meters to several kilometers. there is no rainfall. Through these clouds, the Sun and the Moon shine through, around which rainbow circles are observed. This phenomenon is called a halo.

Middle clouds

The main forms of mid-tier clouds are altocumulus and altostratus. They consist of supercooled drops of water mixed with ice crystals and snowflakes.

Altocumulus clouds. They are usually white or grayish in the form of waves and ridges, consist of flakes or plates separated by gaps. The height of the lower boundary is from 2 to 6 km, the vertical length is several hundred meters (usually 0.2-0.7 km). Precipitation can fall out of them in the form of individual drops or individual snowflakes.

Altostratus clouds. They are a uniform veil of Serovo or bluish clouds, sometimes with weakly pronounced waves. The height of the lower boundary is usually 3-5 km, the vertical extent is 1-2 km. In winter, snow may fall from them.

Lower clouds

These clouds usually cover the entire sky and look like gray heavy ridges, ramparts and shrouds. The main forms are: stratocumulus stratus and stratus clouds.

Stratocumulus clouds. In their appearance, they are gray in the form of large ridges, waves, plates, flakes, merging into a continuous gray wavy cover or having gaps. The height of the lower boundary is most often from 0.6 km to 1.5 km, the vertical length is from several hundred meters to 1 km, sometimes much more. They consist mainly of small drops and snowflakes. Light rain or snow may fall from continuous dense clouds.

Strato-nimbus clouds. Solid dark gray of a relatively uniform appearance with some waviness, found in the intervals between precipitation. Under their layer, as a rule, broken-nimbus clouds are formed in the form of broken patches, often completely covering the sky and shielding the nimbostratus clouds. The height of their lower boundary depends on the synoptic situation and is most often 100-300m, sometimes higher up to

0.5-1.0 km. The vertical length is most often up to 2-3 km, sometimes up to 5 km and more. Merging with highly stratified and cirrostratus clouds, they can form a cloud layer vertically occupying most of the troposphere. These clouds are composed of supercooled droplets and ice crystals. They are subject to heavy rain or snow.

Layered clouds. Usually they are a continuous uniform layer of gray color, sometimes torn and ragged. The height of the lower boundary of these clouds, as a rule, is not more than a few hundred meters, most often 100-300m, sometimes below 100m. Sometimes stratus clouds merge with fog. The vertical extent of stratus clouds is 0.2-0.8 km. They consist of small drops, in the cold season - of supercooled drops with an admixture of ice crystals, snowflakes. From them sometimes drizzle falls, at a negative temperature - fine snow or snow grains.