A drop of knowledge from the clouds in the sky …

Even though we observe the sky every day, we often lack some knowledge about clouds. Therefore, the primary purpose of observing clouds is to provide a clear understanding of what kind of clouds these clouds are. Clouds provide us with the ability to predict natural phenomena and natural processes, as well as weather and climate, and to predict whether a disaster is imminent or far away. We can gain valuable insight by observing the sky.

In geography, clouds are visible masses of condensed water vapor in the Earth’s atmosphere. They are formed when water vapor in the air condenses, typically into water droplets or ice crystals, often around microscopic particles like dust or sea salt Study IQ Education says. Clouds play a crucial role in regulating Earth’s climate and weather patterns.

A cloud is a mass of water drops or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. Clouds form when water condenses in the sky. The condensation lets us see the water vapor. There are many different types of clouds.

High Level Clouds

• Cirrus
• Cirrocumulus
• Cirrostratus

We can mainly call high clouds as follows. Then, first of all, let us examine the nature of these clouds and the weather conditions of these clouds as follows.

01.Cirrus Clouds

Cirrus clouds are wispy, feathery, and composed entirely of ice crystals. Cirrus clouds are always composed of ice crystals, and their transparent character depends upon the degree of separation of the crystals. As a rule, when these clouds cross the sun’s disk, they hardly diminish its brightness. When they are exceptionally thick, they may veil its light and obscure its contour.

And in addition to this before sunrise and after sunset, cirrus are often colored bright yellow or red. These clouds are lit up long before other clouds and fade out much later; some time after sunset they become gray. At all hours of the day, cirrus near the horizon are often of a yellowish color. This is due to the distance the light travels through the atmosphere at a low angle.

WEATHER CONDITION

• Fair weather

02.Cirrocumulus

Cirrocumulus clouds are thin, patchy, white clouds composed of very small elements resembling grains or ripples, often arranged in a somewhat regular pattern. If you explain further, thin and white, these clouds look like a patchy sheet or layer arranged somewhat-regularly into grains or ripples without shading.

WEATHER CONDITION

• Widespread precipitation

03.Cirrostratus

Cirrostratus clouds are thin, high-altitude clouds that often cover the entire sky, appearing as a milky veil. They are composed of ice crystals and are known for producing halo phenomena around the sun or moon. Cirrostratus clouds are usually found at high altitudes (20,000–40,000 feet) and are a sign of an approaching weather system, often rain or snow, within the next 12–24 hours.

WEATHER CONDITION

• Fair weather

Mid Level Clouds

• Altostratus
• Altocumulus

01.Altostratus

Altostratus clouds are mid-altitude, gray or bluish sheets of clouds that often cover a large area of the sky. They are thin enough to allow the sun to be visible, appearing as if seen through ground glass. While they don’t produce significant precipitation, light sprinkles or showers can sometimes occur from thick altostratus layers.

WEATHER CONDITION

• Widespread precipitation

02.Altocumulus

Altocumulus clouds are mid-altitude clouds, typically composed of water droplets or ice crystals, that appear as patchy, sheet-like, or layered formations. They are often described as white or gray with shading, and the individual elements within them can be globular masses or rolls. Altocumulus clouds are usually associated with settled weather and are rarely associated with precipitation.

WEATHER CONDITION

• Fair weather

Low Level Clouds

• Stratocumulus
• Stratus
• Nimbostratus

01.Stratocumulus

A stratocumulus cloud, occasionally called a cumulostratus, belongs to a genus-type of clouds characterized by large dark, rounded masses, usually in groups, lines, or waves, the individual elements being larger than those in altocumulus, and the whole being at a lower height, usually below 2,000 metres. Gray or whitish patchy, sheet, or layered clouds that almost always have dark tessellations (honeycomb appearance), rounded masses, or rolls.

WEATHER CONDITION

• Fair weather

02.Stratus

Stratus clouds are low-level layers with a fairly uniform grey or white colour. Often the scene of dull, overcast days in its ‘nebulosus’ form, they can persist for long periods of time. They are the lowest-lying cloud type and sometimes appear at the surface in the form of mist or fog.

WEATHER CONDITION

• Fog

03.Nimbostratus

Nimbostratus clouds are dark, grey, featureless layers that cover the sky and produce continuous rain or snow. They are often associated with warm or occluded fronts and are thick enough to block out the sun. Nimbostratus clouds are mid-level clouds, but they can extend into the high-level clouds.

WEATHER CONDITION

• Continuous precipitation

Vertically growing clouds

• Cumulus
• Cumulonimbus

01.Cumulus

Detached, generally dense clouds and with sharp outlines that develop vertically in the form of rising mounds, domes, or towers with bulging upper parts often resembling a cauliflower. The sunlit parts of these clouds are mostly brilliant white while their bases are relatively dark and horizontal. Over land, cumulus develops on days of clear skies due diurnal convection. It appears in the morning, grows, and then more or less dissolves again toward evening.

WEATHER CONDITION

• Fair weather

02.Cumulonimbus

Cumulonimbus clouds, also known as thunderclouds, are towering, vertical clouds associated with thunderstorms and potentially severe weather. They are characterized by a dark, flat base and an anvil-shaped top. These clouds can form through convection, often developing from smaller cumulus clouds.

WEATHER CONDITION

• Sharp weather
• Thunderstorms
• Sometimes hail