Clouds and Precipitation online meteorology guide
Graphic by: Yiqi Shao ...
Cloud A hydrometeor consisting of a visible aggregate of minute particles of liquid water or ice, or both, suspended in the free air and usually not touching the Earth's surface.
Cloud color tells much about what is going on inside a cloud.
Clouds form when water vapor rises, cools, and condenses out of the air as microdroplets.
Cloud Classification
Clouds have names that come from Latin (an ancient Roman language). An English naturalist Luke Howard, in 1803, developed a classification system based on the following four main cloud types: ...
Cloud Streets - Rows of cumulus or cumulus-type clouds aligned parallel to the low-level flow. Cloud streets sometimes can be seen from the ground, but are seen best on satellite photographs.
Cloud Droplets Cloud droplets are so small you could but more than a million in a teaspoon. At the center of each droplet of water
or ice is even a smaller speck of: Dust: Dirt: Smoke: Salt: Soot: called "Nuclei".
cloud classification"1. A scheme of distinguishing and grouping clouds according to their appearance, and, where possible, to their process of formation.
cloud formation: cloud-condensation nuclei, cloud droplets
For condensation to occur at the dew point water vapor needs a surface to condense on.
Cloud cover forecasting terms
Clear - skies free from cloud, fog, mist, dust or haze.
Sunny - little chance of the sun being obscured by cloud.
Cloud - A visible collection of very fine water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere at altitudes from just above the ground to several miles above sea level.
CLOUD HEIGHT: The height of the cloud base above the local terrain.
COMPASS POINTS: The cardinal points of the compass: N, NNE, NE, etc.
CONFORMAL COATING: A protective coating applied to circuits usually by spray deposition.
Cloud - a visible mass of minute water and/or ice particles in the atmosphere suspended above the earth's surface
Cloud Base- the lowest level in the atmosphere that contains cloud particles (water droplets, ice crystals, etc.) ...
Cloud: An ensemble of water drops and/or ice particles in the atmosphere above the earth's surface.
Coalescence: The merging of cloud drops into a single drop after a collision.
Cloud classifications -
Altocumulus - Alto (medium altitude, 8000 to 24000 feet or 2400 to 6100 m) + cumulus (piles). Balls or rolls of cloud at medium height.
Cloudy- the state of the sky when 7/10ths or more of the sky is covered by clouds.
Coastal Flooding- the submersion of land areas along the ocean coast and other inland waters caused by sea water over and above normal tide action.
Cloud Droplets: Small drops of liquid water, approximately 4 to 100 micrometres in diameter, that remain suspended in the air. They are smaller in size than either drizzle or rain drops. An aggregate of cloud droplets forms a visible cloud.
Cloud Tags - Ragged, detached cloud fragments.
<>Cold-air Funnel - A funnel cloud or (rarely) a small, relatively weak tornado that can develop from a small shower or thunderstorm when the air aloft is unusually cold (hence the name).
Cloud Formations - please see this online cloud atlas for photos and descriptions of all the various cloud types.
Cloudburst
Any sudden and heavy rain shower.
Cloud cover
The amount of the sky obscured by clouds when observed at a particular location.
Cloud seeding The introduction of artificial substances (usually silver iodide or dry ice) into a cloud for the purpose of either modifying its development or increasing its precipitation.
Cloud A visible suspension of minute water droplets and/or ice crystals in the atmosphere above the Earth's surface. Clouds differ from fog only in that the latter is, by definition, in contact with the Earth's surface.
Cloud Seeding - The introduction into clouds of particles ( most commonly dry ice or silver iodide) for the purpose of altering the cloud's natural development.
Cloudburst Any sudden, heavy rain shower.
Clouds A visible mass of water vapor suspended in the atmosphere above Earth's surface. Clouds form in areas where air rises and cools. The condensing water vapor forms small droplets of water (0.
CLOUD BANK A well-defined cloud mass that can be observed at a distance. It covers the horizon, but is not directly overhead.
CLOUDBURST A sudden, heavy rainfall of a showery nature. Related term: downburst ...
Cloudburst Any sudden and heavy rain shower.
Cloud seeding The introduction of artificial substances (usually silver iodide or dry ice) into a cloud for the purpose of either modifying its development or increasing its precipitation.
Cloud A visible aggregate of minute water droplets or ice particles in the atmosphere above the Earth's surface.
Cloud-Air Lightning (CA) Streaks of lightning which pass from a cloud to the air, but do not strike the ground.
cloud detection radar—A vertically directed radar to detect cloud bases and tops.
cold front—Any non-occluded front which moves in such a way that colder air replaces warmer air.
condensation—See change of state.
Cloud Tags - Ragged, detached cloud fragments; fractus or scud.
Cold Advection - Transport of cold air into a region by horizontal winds.
Cloud Condensation Nuclei
Small particles in the air on which water vapor condenses and forms cloud droplets.
Cloud Layer ...
CLOUD
A visible collection of minute particle matter, such as water droplets and/or ice crystals, in the free air. A cloud forms in the atmosphere as a result of condensation of water vapor.
In-Cloud Lightning
(abbrev. IC) Lightning that takes place within the cloud.
Inactive Storage Capacity ...
Cap Cloud - permalink - collapse
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A stationary cloud directly above an isolated mountain peak, with cloud base below the elevation of the peak.
NOAA National Weather Service - Cite This Source - This Definition ...
Few Clouds
An official sky cover classification for aviation weather observations, descriptive of a sky cover of 1/8 to 2/8.
CG- Cloud to Ground lightning
CHC- Chance (usually in reference to precipitation probability)
CI- Cirrus ...
low cloud - See cloud classification.
lower atmosphere - Generally and quite loosely, that part of the atmosphere in which most weather phenomena occur (i.e., the troposphere and lower stratosphere); ...
Wall Clouds - A local and often abrupt lowering of a rain-free cumulonimbus base into a low-hanging accessory cloud, from 1 to 4 miles in diameter.
Wall Cloud - a generally rain-free region of rotating clouds which extends beneath a severe thunderstorm and from which a funnel cloud may form
Warm Advection - the transport of warm air into an area by horizontal winds ...
WALL CLOUD
An abrupt lowering of a cloud from its parent cloud base, a cumulonimbus or supercell, with no visible precipitation underneath.
HIGH CLOUDS
A term used to signify cirriform clouds that are composed of ice crystals and generally have bases above 20,000 feet. The main types of high clouds are cirrus,cirrocumulus, and cirrostratus. This altitude applies to the temperate zone.
high clouds: clouds found between 3-8 kilometers (10000-25000 feet) in polar regions and 6-18 kilometers (20000-60000 feet) in tropical regions. Contains cirriform clouds (cirrus, cirrocumulus, and cirrostratus).
Wall Cloud - An area of clouds that extends beneath a severe thunderstorm. If a wall cloud rotates, it might precede tornado development.
Comma Cloud This term refers to the typical cloud pattern of a midlatitude cyclone (especially winter storms) when viewed in satellite images.
Rope Cloud - In satellite meteorology, a narrow, rope-like band of clouds sometimes seen on satellite images along a front or other boundary.
The term sometimes is used synonymously with rope or rope funnel.
BROKEN CLOUDS: Clouds which cover between 6/10 and 9/10 of the sky.
CAA: Cold Air Advection.
CEILING: The height of the lowest layer of clouds, when the sky is broken or overcast.
BROKEN CLOUDS: Clouds which cover between 6/10 and 9/10 of the sky. See Sky Terminology.
CAA: Cold Air Advection
CEILING: The height of the lowest layer of clouds, when the sky is broken or overcast.
Cloud classification
The way of dividing clouds into various categories.There are two main types of cloud at three levels in the atmosphere.
Cloud: Aggregate of very small droplets of water, ice crystals or the mixture of both with its base above the surface of the Earth.
Clouds - A visible collection of tiny water droplets or, at colder temperatures, ice crystals floating in the air above the surface. Clouds come in many different sizes and shapes.
Cloud: a visible mass of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.
Cloud amount: measured in OKTAS this is the portion of the sky which is covered in cloud ...
Cloudburst- A sudden, intense rainfall that is normally of short duration.
Cold Front- The leading edge of a colder mass of air that displaces a warmer mass of air.
Condensation- The change of vapor to liquid.
Cloud Cover
That portion of the sky cover that is attributed to clouds, usually measured in tenths or eighths of sky covered.
CO ...
CLOUD - A region of suspended droplets of a liquid or very small solid particles in another medium. Commonly seen as a suspension of water droplets in the air (water clouds). See also AEROSOL.
Clouds that look like pouches hanging from the underside of a cloud.
Marine climate(6)
A climate dominated by the ocean, because of the moderating effect of water, sites having this climate are considered relatively mild.
Cloud base will be difficult, and I won't go into detail on estimation of cloud bases.The Observers Handbook (see 5A.6) is your best guide.
"Wall cloud" also is used occasionally in tropical meteorology to describe the inner cloud wall surrounding the eye of a tropical cyclone, but the proper term for this feature is eyewall.
How do Clouds Form?
Find the answer to all your weather science questions. Many answers include demonstrations, videos, and photos to help you understand cloud formation.
FUNNEL CLOUD: A rotating, funnel-shaped cloud extending below the base of a thunderstorm. When it reaches the ground, it is called a tornado.
GALE: Wind speeds from 39 to 54 mph (34 to 47 knots).
Acid rainCloud or rain droplets containing pollutants, such as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, to make them acidic (eg. pH < 5.6).AfternoonNoon to sunset.
CUMULUS CLOUDS - Puffy clouds caused by small areas of lifting air.
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D ...
CCN - Cloud Condensation Nuclei. Particles (or aerosols) on which water condenses to form cloud drops.
 See also: Clouds, Air, Weather, Surface, Water
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