What are the four families of clouds quizlet?
Terms in this set (4)
- Cirrus. a wispy white cloud (usually of fine ice crystals) at a high altitude (4 to 8 miles), also announcing a soon change in weather.
- Cumulus. thick, fluffy clouds that look like a big pile of cotton balls, usually announcing a nice or sunny day.
- Nimbus.
- Stratus.
What are the 4 classes of clouds based on altitude?
Within each altitude class additional classifications are defined based on four basic types and combinations thereof. These types are Cirrus (meaning hair like), Stratus (meaning layer), Cumulus (meaning pile) and Nimbus (meaning rain producing).
What are the major groups of clouds?
Cumulus, Stratus, and Cirrus. There are three main cloud types.
How are clouds divided into four families?
Clouds are divided into four families according to their height range: low, middle, high, and clouds with extensive vertical development. High clouds, called cirrus, are composed mainly of ice crystals; therefore, they are least likely to contribute to structural icing (since it requires water droplets).
What refers to cumulus clouds?
Cumulus clouds are puffy clouds that sometimes look like pieces of floating cotton. The base of each cloud is often flat and may be only 1000 meters (3300 feet) above the ground. These clouds grow upward, and they can develop into a giant cumulonimbus, which is a thunderstorm cloud.
How are cumulus clouds classified?
Cumulus clouds can be formed from water vapour, supercooled water droplets, or ice crystals, depending upon the ambient temperature….Cumulus cloud.
| Cumulus | |
|---|---|
| Variety | Radiatuse |
| Altitude | 200–2,000 m (1,000–7,000 ft) |
| Classification | Family C (Low-level) |
| Appearance | Low-altitude, fluffy heaps of clouds with cotton-like appearance. |
How do you classify clouds?
How are clouds classified?
- Scientists classify clouds by how high they are in the sky (low, medium or high), and by whether they are flat (stratus), puffy (cumulus), rain-filled (nimbus), or a combination of these characteristics.
- Saucer-shaped lenticular clouds are common in mountainous regions of the world.
What are the three levels of clouds?
The troposphere can be vertically divided into three levels, formerly known as “étages”: high, middle and low. Each level is defined by the range of heights at which clouds of certain genera occur most frequently.
What are the four types of cloud types?
For identification purposes, you need be con cerned only with the more basic cloud types, which are divided into four “families.”. The families are: high clouds, middle clouds, low clouds, and clouds with extensive vertical development.
What kind of clouds are made of ice crystals?
The Latin word ‘cirro’ means curl of hair. Composed of ice crystals, cirro-form clouds are whitish and hair-like. There are the high, wispy clouds to first appear in advance of a low pressure area such as a mid-latitude storm system or a tropical system such as a hurricane.
What are clouds from which rain is falling?
clouds from which rain is falling are nimbostratus. A heavy, swelling cumulus type cloud which pro duces precipitation is a cumulonimbus. Clouds broken into fragments are often identified by add ing the suffix tractus; for example, fragmentary cumulus is cumulus tractus.
How tall are the clouds in the middle?
The height of the bases of these clouds ranges from about 16,500 to 45,000 feet in middle latitudes. Figures 45 through 47 are photographs of high clouds. In the middle cloud family are the altostratus, altocumulus, and nimbostratus clouds. These clouds are primarily water, much of which may be super cooled.