Cirrus clouds form at altitude. What are cumulus and cirrus clouds

Many people like to admire the sky. Thanks to the clouds, it is very diverse. In summer you can see how fluffy white "horses" swim overhead. With the onset of autumn, the sky is often covered with "lead" low-hanging clouds. And sometimes, even in clear weather, white, barely noticeable "feathers" can be observed high up. Each type of these clouds has its corresponding name. So we know from school that there are stratified, cumulus and Spindrift clouds. All of them, in turn, are divided into mixed subspecies.

How they are formed

Although according to outward signs, nature and height of location, all clouds are different, they form for one reason. The air that heats up near the surface of the earth rises to the sky and gradually cools. Having reached a certain height, it begins to thicken into water droplets. This happens because the cooled air cannot remain in a vapor state and forms into droplets. But for condensation to occur, solid particles, such as dust or minute salts, must rise with the steam. It is to them that water molecules stick. All the clouds we see are collections of droplets and/or ice crystals.

Where is someone located

As you know, there are no identical clouds, because they always change their shape. It depends on what winds they are exposed to, at what height and at what temperature these “white-maned horses” form. Many of them are formed in the troposphere (there are some species that are much higher) and are divided into tiers, of which there are three. The upper one is considered from a height of 8-18 km. Here cirrus clouds, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus are formed.

In the middle layer, which starts from 2 km and ends at 8 km, Altocumulus and Altostratus species are formed. Cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds also form here, they have a vertical shape. But their amazing feature is that they can form in the lower tier and line up to the upper tier.

We also know stratus, nimbostratus and stratocumulus clouds. These types of formations are usually located on the lower tier up to 2 km. Such clouds usually do not let the sun's rays through, and long-term precipitation comes from them.

What do cirrus clouds say

This type is often not perceived as true clouds, as they do not carry obvious precipitation. They are scattered across the sky in a row in the form of white shreds or threads. The height of cirrus clouds depends on the latitude in which they formed, but in any part they occupy the upper tier of the troposphere. So, in tropical latitudes, their bases can form at 6-18 km from the earth, in middle latitudes from about 6 to 8 km, and in the polar part from 3 to 8. They consist of large ice crystals, so the speed of their fall is almost imperceptible. At the same time, cirrus clouds are elongated vertically for hundreds of meters.

Their formation occurs when upper tier air masses practically immobile. But if the wind starts to get stronger, it pulls these clouds up and they look like hooks pulled up. This form is exact sign that high in the sky a strong wind is raging. For a person, they are a signal that in a day or two come warm front.

But sometimes in the night sky it becomes noticeable how a halo (luminous edging) of thin cirrus clouds has formed around the Moon. Such a phenomenon has always been considered a sign that worsening weather is imminent.

Sometimes the sky is covered with cirrostratus clouds, which resemble a translucent veil. They can be blurry, and are fibrous. The thickness of the cloud layer can exceed several kilometers. They are also formed from ice crystals, which are combined into columns. These clouds usually belong to warm fronts.

Harbingers of good or bad weather

Often we have to observe how the sky is decorated with white cumulus clouds that develop upward and resemble hills or pieces of cotton wool. They are formed only from watery drops, but at the same time there are no downpours, only some of them can be poured with a light rain. Experienced observers know that such clouds indicate good weather for the day, and the higher they float in the sky, the warmer the air. Although under certain conditions, cumulus clouds can outgrow and become thunderstorms.

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This article discusses what types and forms of clouds are.

The first criterion by which clouds are divided when answering the question: What are clouds? is the location height.

Height dependent locations are as follows types of clouds:

• Upper clouds (Ci, Cs, Cc)- types of clouds located at an altitude of more than 6000 meters from the surface of the earth. You can already observe them from a distance of 100-200 km, they usually appear from the side where the cyclone comes from;
• Middle tier clouds (As, Ac)- types of clouds that occur at an altitude of 2000 to 6000 meters. From the clouds of the previous type differ more large size cloudy elements, gray coloring and casting a shadow on the surface of the earth - due to their greater density, they weakly transmit sunlight or moonlight;
• Lower clouds (Cu, Sc, St)– types of clouds located at an altitude of less than 2000 meters. They sometimes lag behind the clouds of the upper tier by 400-500 km, from the middle tier - by 200-300 km. They are distinguished by a dark saturated color, cast a thick shadow due to complete opacity. They swim low in the form of huge ridges or a continuous veil. Precipitation falls from lower clouds.
• Clouds of vertical development (Ns, Cb). The lower part of this type of cloud (white, gray or dark gray) can be below 2000 meters, and the top (always white) reaches a level of 6-8 thousand meters. In appearance, they are dense cloud arrays with flat bases.

The answer to the question: What are clouds? is not limited to listing types of clouds by altitude. In turn, the listed types of clouds are different in shape.

So, the shape of the clouds are ...

Cloud shapes. What are clouds?

What are the clouds of the upper tier in shape:

• Spindrift clouds,

• cirrocumulus clouds,

• Cirrostratus clouds.

Cirrus clouds (Cirrus, Ci
Color: white.
Description and shape of the cloud. These clouds are of a delicate white color in the form of threads, feathers, wavy ribbons. Slightly silver tint. They have a fairly large vertical length - up to several kilometers. However, due to the action of the wind, they are strongly curved. Cirrus clouds are characterized by a rare but very beautiful phenomenon called "fiery rainbow".
Visibility inside the cloud : 150-500 meters.
Composition and education . Made up of ice crystals. They form in front of a cloud mass of a warm front or an occlusion front. They are also characteristic of anticyclonic conditions, and sometimes remain from ice peaks (anvils) of cumulonimbus clouds.
Precipitation never falls from cirrus clouds.

Cirrocumulus (Cirrocumulus, Cc) is a type of upper layer clouds.
Color: white.
Description and shape of the cloud . There are lambs, lambs, lambs in the sky ... This is exactly them. These clouds are small in size, oval, lined up, they float high, high above the ground. Reminds me of ripples in the sand. Do not cast shadows, harbingers of rising temperatures. AT cirrocumulus clouds a halo effect and crowns around the sun and moon can occur.
Visibility inside the cloud : 200-500 meters.
Composition and education . The source of material for the formation of cirrocumulus clouds is wave and ascending air currents. The cloud element is ice crystals.
Cloud weather prediction. For good weather. Most often, they disperse and expose the blue sky.

Deformed cirrocumulus clouds.

Sometimes rounded breaks can be observed in cirrocumulus clouds. Such a gap is formed when the temperature in the cloud is below zero, but the water has not yet had time to freeze. When water begins to freeze in one place, the nearby water vapor quickly evaporates and condenses on ice crystals. Ice crystals become heavy and under their own weight can settle to the ground. Thus, deformed cirrocumulus clouds are obtained.

Cirrostratus clouds (Cirrostratus, Cs) - a type of clouds of the upper tier.
Color: whitish, translucent.
Description and shape of the cloud . Cirrostratus clouds are in the form of a continuous veil high in the sky. In the presence of these clouds, the sun and moon float as if in a haze. The transparency of clouds can vary depending on the density of the cloud. At low density, the halo effect is also observed. The thickness of cirrostratus clouds can reach 2-6 kilometers.
Visibility inside the cloud : 50-200 meters.
Composition and education. The source of material for the formation of cirrostratus clouds is whole layers of air rising upward as a result of multilevel convergence. The cloud element is ice crystals.
Cloud weather prediction. Precipitation does not fall out of them, but the thickening of cirrostratus clouds can serve as a harbinger bad weather.

What are the middle tier clouds in shape:

• altocumulus clouds,

• altostratus clouds,

• Altostratus translucent clouds.

Altocumulus (Altocumulus, Ac
Color : white, gray or bluish white.
Description and shape of the cloud . Altocumulus clouds are usually found in the summer. They are arranged in waves or in ridges in the form of flakes or plates. Between separate elements gaps are observed. Sometimes around these clouds there is a beautiful phenomenon called "iridization" . This is the iridescent coloration of the edge of the cloud.
Visibility inside the cloud : 50-80 meters.
Composition and education. Formed when warm air rises. The rise can be provoked by the onset of a cold front, which displaces air heated near the surface of the earth upward.
Cloud weather prediction. Appear after a thunderstorm or storm. They predict clear weather.

Altostratus clouds (Altostratus, As) - a type of clouds of the middle tier.
Color : gray or bluish.
Description and shape of the cloud . Altostratus clouds are in the form of a uniform or slightly wavy veil through which the sun and moon faintly shine through. Cloud height varies from one to four kilometers.
Visibility inside the cloud : 25-40 meters.
Composition and education. The main cloud elements are ice crystals, snowflakes, supercooled water.
Cloud weather prediction. Precipitation falls from altostratus clouds. This is heavy rain or snow.

Altostratus translucent clouds (Altostratus translucidus, As trans) - a type of middle tier clouds .
Color : white-bluish.
Description and shape of the cloud . Clearly visible translucent wavy stripes. The solar and lunar disks are quite distinct. Despite this, they cast a faint shadow on the ground. The lower boundary of these clouds is at an altitude of 3-5 km. The height of the cloud array is 1-2 km. Gradually cover the entire sky with a continuous veil.
Cloud weather prediction. Precipitation also falls from altostratus translucent clouds, but in summer it rarely reaches the earth's surface.

What are the clouds of the lower tier in shape:

• layered clouds,

• stratocumulus clouds,

• Cumulus clouds.

Stratus clouds (Stratus, St) - a type of clouds of the lower tier.
Color : dark gray or light gray.
Description and shape of the cloud . Layered clouds are in the form of a homogeneous whitish veil that covers the entire sky and looks like fog. The height of the cloud is small - from several tens to hundreds of meters. The lower part can drop very low, and then the cloud merges with the fog. Formed in the lower troposphere.
: 100-400 meters, sometimes drops to 30-90.
Cloud weather prediction. Stratus clouds occasionally produce precipitation. It's drizzle or snow grains, depending on the season.

Stratocumulus clouds (Stratocumulus, Sc) - a type of clouds of the lower tier.
Color : grey.
Description and shape of the cloud . Stratocumulus clouds are in the form of massive ridges, waves, plates. They can be both with gaps, and tighten the sky with a continuous wavy veil. The height of the cloud layer is from 200 to 800 meters. Quite dense, the sun shines through only at the edges of the clouds.
Height above ground : 500 to 1800 meters.
Compound . The main cloud element is water drops.
Cloud weather prediction. Precipitation is possible only occasionally, and even then short.

Striped stratocumulus clouds.
Color : grey.
Description and shape of the cloud . A variety of stratocumulus clouds. They are notable for the fact that they are located in the sky in the form of regular rows or waves separated by gaps.
Height above ground : 500 to 1800 meters.
Compound . The cloud element is water drops.
Cloud weather prediction. Most often they portend good weather.

Cumulus clouds (Cumulus, Cu) - a type of clouds of the lower tier.
Color : bright white.
Description and shape of the cloud . Dense, elongated clouds. The upper part of cumulus clouds is rounded or in the form of round turrets.
Height above ground : from 800 to 1500 meters, occasionally more than two kilometers.
Cloud weather prediction. If they are located separately, far from each other, then to good weather. But if the cumulus clouds are large and multi-storey, then there may be a heavy downpour.

What are the clouds of vertical development in shape:

• nimbostratus clouds,

• Cumulonimbus clouds.

Layered rain clouds(Nimbostratus, Ns) - a type of cloud of vertical development.
Color : dark gray, with a bluish tint.
Description and shape of the cloud . Clouds cover the earth in a continuous veil. Nimbostratus clouds are heterogeneous structure, sometimes wavy. The thickness of the layer is up to several kilometers. They differ from stratus clouds in their heterogeneous structure, which becomes blurred during rain or snow. But in the intervals between precipitation, the heterogeneity again becomes discernible.
Height above ground : 100 to 1900 meters.
Cloud weather prediction. They produce heavy rainfall.

Cumulonimbus (Cumulonimbus, Cb) — type of clouds of vertical development .
Color : thick dark grey.
Description and shape of the cloud . Powerful dense clouds reaching a height of more than 10 km. Clouds are preceded by a squally wind, a hurricane. They are distinguished by a flat top - an "anvil", consisting of ice crystals.
Height above ground : up to 2000 meters.
Compound . At the base - water drops, and at the top, where the temperature is much lower - ice crystals.
Cloud weather prediction. Cumulonimbus clouds are the harbinger of bad weather. They bring heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail is possible.

This completes the enumeration of the main types and the shape of the clouds, but there are other, rarer types. They cannot be assigned to any of the above categories, therefore they are considered separately. In the next article, we will answer the question: What other clouds are there?

It was the article “Types and forms of clouds. What are clouds? Read further: Rare types of clouds. What else are clouds?

Cirrus clouds can be observed during good weather. Some of their species notify us that a warm sunny day will soon deteriorate badly. These are thread-like white "fibers" through which such celestial bodies as the moon and the sun always shine through.

they are visible and very bright stars. On a clear day, cirrus clouds in no way reduce the illumination. They are located in the upper tier of the troposphere. Their height usually ranges from 6 to 12 kilometers. Consist of ice crystals formed by cooling water droplets. Note that precipitation does not fall out of them!

By studying the cloud atlas, scientists have found that they have a direct impact on climatic conditions global character. Reflecting the incoming solar radiation in their direction, they cool our planet, and by retaining the outgoing heat, they warm it. To date, scientists have not fully explored them, but when it does, cirrus clouds will be an excellent tool for meteorologists.

After long and painstaking work, the researchers concluded that the formation of cirrus-type clouds occurs due to dust and combinations of metal particles that make up their basis - crystals.

What does it mean? The thing is that any cloud (not only cirrus) consists of small water droplets, formed from which, in turn, rises into the sky with heated air. Already at the top, this air begins to cool, and the steam condenses. But for this whole process to happen, the droplets need very small particles to stick to. This role is played by dust. The scientific name for such an "union" is "condensation grains". Such a discovery is the greatest breakthrough in cloud science. By the way, it is believed that cirrus clouds can be formed through human activity. But which one exactly? Until this is clarified, the version will not find its confirmation.

How is fog formed?

It happens very simply. The droplets that we wrote about above condense almost at the very ground. The uniqueness of this phenomenon is that when we enter the fog, we actually pass through the cloud! At the same time, on clothes, on the face and hands, we feel its moisture. By the way, this easily explains the formation of the air we exhale in winter time: when exhaled, it becomes moist and warm, and when it comes into contact with frosty, it immediately turns into small foggy clouds.

"Relatives"

Very often, cirrus clouds are combined with their "relatives" - cirrostratus and cirrocumulus. They are called "mixed". Cirrostratus resemble a thin transparent veil, against which colored rings often form around the moon or sun. This is the result of refracted and reflected rays of light in ice crystals,
of which, in fact, the cirrus clouds themselves are composed. Cirrocumulus in their appearance resemble lambs or fish scales. They can be observed in parallel with cirrus clouds. They have importance for our planet, preventing the decrease in temperature on the earth's surface.

Dreamers, scientists, naturalists and you love to look at the clouds, as well as watch them. While you might want to call that big fluffy cloud "heavy, rainy, or dark," you might find it more interesting (and useful) to use the correct terminology if you want to understand cloud classification. First invented by the English scientist Luke Howard, the classification of clouds is divided depending on their height: low, medium or high tier, their shape: cumulus and stratus, and also based on the weather that creates them.

Steps

cloud shapes

Identify clouds by shape. There are two forms:

high clouds

Look for high clouds (or simply "high clouds"). They are at an altitude of approximately 5.943 meters and 12.954 meters. They include cirrus, cirrostratus and cumulus clouds. Usually they are filled with ice crystals and have a blurry outline. They are also thin and smoky.

• Aircraft tracks are also on this level. earth's atmosphere.
• During sunset and dawn, high clouds become beautiful in reds, oranges and yellows.
• The glow around the moon or sun comes from feather clouds. Sometimes it can indicate rain or snow, especially when accompanied by thick, low clouds.
• Quite often, feather clouds partially obscure the sun.[]