Fascinating Clouds
Clouds have fascinated me since my early childhood. My friends and I used to lie on the grass in our front yard canopied by the huge weeping birch tree that had been planted at my birth. Our home was near the Wasatch Mountains (at the foothills) which made the air currents more pronounced. The clouds not only moved more rapidly as they approached the mountains, but they changed shape and formation more quickly. We would picture animals, faces and other things within the shape of the cloud, sometimes for hours.
When I got to high school they offered a course in geology which included a section on weather and the cloud formations associated with the different kinds of atmospheric conditions. I, of course, sign up. The geology was okay, but when we got to the cloud information the teacher had my undivided attention. Years later the postal service came out with a set of stamps showing cloud formations. On the back of each stamp it listed the conditions under which that type of cloud formed. There are 10 major types of clouds but the stamp sheet left off the tenth, nimbo stratus, because it is the low, level sheet type cloud appearing right before a heavy downpour. Nimbo stratus clouds cause a uniform gray sky.
Several factors determine which type of cloud forms: air pressure, humidity, changed in temperature and the amount of dust suspended in the air. However, water is really the key. The water’s form determines when a cloud forms and when it dissipates or releases its water: the suspended water can be vapor, droplets or ice crystals. Temperature provides energy for the water molecule which at its lowest solidifies the water into ice crystals, at higher temperatures it forms vapor. As the vapor rises, temperature decreases, changing it to a liquid. The liquid clings to dust and the water molecules start to cling together to make clouds. When I learned the thousands of pounds of water clouds carry, it amazed me even more that they can float so effortlessly in the wind. They are truly a unique creation of Jehovah’s. Isaiah 55:10,11
The USPS issue of the cloud stamps was initially release at the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory near Boston, MA. This is where America’s weather reporting officially began in 1885. Blue Hill recorded the basic climatology of cloud types, height and velocity in the Western Hemisphere. Now the observatory provides detailed climate records and educates the public about atmospheric science which is why they provided the information on the stamps.
Cirrus radiatus
Cirrostratus fibratus
Cirrocumulus undulatus
Cumulonimbus mammatus
Cumulonimbus incus clouds appear when rapid updrafts within cumulus congestus clouds rise to the upper atmosphere and form mushroom-shaped anvils. Severe thunderstorms producing heavy rains, large hailstones and sometimes tornadoes are a product of these cloud formations.are arranged in layers or sheets. These clouds are primarily composed of water droplets and reflect glorious colors at sunset. When they thicken in daytime a storm is approaching.form by the rising and cooling of large air masses and precede advancing storms. The sun or moon can shine dimly through thinner layers.resemble water ripples. They are the result of wind shear. The wind direction or speed changes sharply with height. They may appear as patchy sections or cover the entire sky.get their name from the protuberance of castle like turrets. They signify unstable air in the area and are precursors of late day thunderstorms. are smooth, almost motionless clouds that resemble iridescent lenses. They occur with strong winds crossing over the mountain peaks and resemble UFOs.spread horizontally, forming a layer of shallow, puffy clouds created by weak updrafts and blown by strong winds into waves lying at right angles to the wind. This formation seldom produces precipitation.
Altocumulus stratiformis
Altostratus translucidus
Altocumulus undulates
Altocumulus castellanus
Altocumulus lenticularis
Stratocumulus undulates
clouds are composed from windblown ice crystals. Cirrus are fibrous, wispy clouds that appear in isolated patches or cover large areas of sky. Cirrus radiatus appear on the horizon in parallel bands.clouds form most often in winter and produce a halo effect around the sun or moon. Thickening cirrostratus can indicate the approach of a frontal system.are either layers or patches of small, puffy clouds forming ripple patterns. Their appearance is due to wind shear. This type of cloud usually occurs in just a small portion of the sky. develop when pockets of air cooled by evaporating droplets or ice crystals sink into dryer air under the anvil shape. These clouds form pouch like pockets indicating the approach or departure of severe thunderstorms.
Stratus opacus cloud layers spread hundreds of miles. Like stratocumulus they are composed of water droplets and occasionally produce light rain or snow.
Cumulus humilis
Cumulus congestus
Cumulonimbus
are the smallest of the cumulus clouds. Flat based with rounded tops they are usually wider than the tall and rarely produce precipitation. They usually evaporate as the sun sets.clouds form from strong, buoyant updrafts of moist, warm air when the atmosphere is unstable. The clouds form towers that can bring moderate rain or snow. Sometimes they are precursors of thunderstorms if they become cumulonimbus.cloud formations can cause tornadoes, nature’s most destructive phenomena. Tornadoes are spinning columns of rising air between the ground and the base of the cumulonimbus. The winds of tornados can exceed 250 mph.
My fascination for all the variety of cloud formations increases with everything I learn about them. And my knowing the names of the different types of clouds impresses all my friends!
