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Weather. Clouds and Precipitation. Have you ever just looked at clouds?. Why do we have clouds? Why are there different shapes? What can they tell us about the weather?. Take Good Notes!. There will be a quiz on this information. Understanding Clouds.
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Weather Clouds and Precipitation
Have you ever just looked at clouds? • Why do we have clouds? • Why are there different shapes? • What can they tell us about the weather?
Take Good Notes! • There will be a quiz on this information
Understanding Clouds • Clouds form as warm air is forced upward • As the air is forced upward, it expands and cools
Understanding Clouds • As the air cools, the relative humidity reaches 100% • For more information on Relative Humidity click ☼
Water vapor begins to condense in tiny drops around nuclei. Nuclei are small particles of dust, salt, and smoke in the atmosphere
Cloud Types • There are many different cloud types
Cloud Types • Can you think of the two main ways that clouds are classified? • Shape, Height, and sometimes RainCapacity
By Shape! • There are three main cloud types that are based on shape • Think you know any of them? • Stratus • Cumulus • Cirrus
Stratus Clouds • Stratus clouds form a smooth, even sheet • They usually form at low altitudes
Stratus Clouds • When air is cooled and condenses near the ground, a stratus cloud know as _______ forms • Know the name?
Cumulus Clouds • These are masses of puffy, white clouds, often with flat bases • They form when air currents rise
Cumulus Clouds • They can be associated with both fair weather and…….when they get really tall ___!
Cirrus Clouds • Cirrus clouds are high, thin, white, feathery clouds containing ice crystals
Cirrus Clouds • Cirrus clouds are usually associated with fair weather, but they may indicate approaching storms
By Height • The prefix of cloud names can describe the height of cloud bases • Cirro: High clouds above 6000m
By Height • Alto: Middle elevation clouds between 2000 to 6000m • Strato: Low level clouds below 2000m
Rain Clouds • Nimbusclouds are dark clouds associated with precipitation
Rain Clouds • When a nimbus cloud is also a towering cumulus cloud, it’s called a cumulonimbus cloud
Ready for a quick review? • 1. Clouds can form when the relative humidity reaches ____% • 2. In order for clouds to form, water vapor begins to condense around ____of dust, salt, and smoke
3. Clouds are classified by ____ and____ and sometimes rain capacity • 4. Puffy, white clouds are called? • 5. Mid elevation clouds between 2000 and 6000m
Let’s see how you did! • 100 • Nuclei • Shape and height • Cumulus • Alto
Forms of Precipitation • Precipitation (pre-sip-uh-tay-shun) is any form of water that falls to the Earth's surface.
Types of Precipitation • The type of precipitation that falls to the ground depends upon the formation process and the temperatures of the environment between the cloud and the surface
Can you name the different types of precipitation? • Rain • Snow • Hail • Sleet • Freezing Rain
Rain • Rain develops when growing cloud droplets become too heavy to remain in the cloud and as a result, fall toward the surface as rain
Rain can also begin as ice crystals that collect each other to form large snowflakes As the falling snow passes through the freezing level into warmer air, the flakes melt
Snow • Snow is formed when ice crystals form from water vapor that is in the clouds directly above your heads! • This process is called sublimation
Hail • Hail is formed when updrafts carry raindrops upwards into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere
Hail • There the raindrops merge and freeze. When the frozen clumps get to heavy they fall to earth
Hail • Hail can vary in size, from the size of a small stone to that of a baseball! So be careful
Sleet • Sleet is frozen raindrops. Sleet begins as rain or snow and falls through a deep layer of cold air that contains temperatures below freezing that exist near the surface.
Sleet • Rain that falls through this extremely cold layer has time to freeze into small pieces of ice
Freezing Rain • Freezing rain is falling rain that cools below 0°C, but does not turn to ice in the air • The water is “supercooled”
Ready? • Nuclei for the formation of rain drops can be small particles of: A) salt, B) smoke, C) dust, D) all the above • Which of these cloud types is not based on the clouds shape: A) stratus, B) nimbus, C) cumulus, D) cirrus
3. Mid elevation clouds between 2000 and 6000m: A) nimbus, B) alto, C) cirro, D) strato 4. This form of precipitation is supercooled: A) rain, B) snow, C) sleet, D) freezing rain
5.This form of precipitation stays frozen all the way to the ground: A) rain, B) snow, C) sleet, D) freezing rain Let’s see how you did!
The Answers! 1. D 2. B 3. B 4. D 5. B
Humidityand Relative Humidity • Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air • Relative humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapor that the air is holding, compared to the amount it can hold at a specific temperature
Humidityand Relative Humidity • When the air is holding as much moisture as it can, it’s said to be saturated
In the cool of the morning, the air can’t hold as much moisture. We often have dew on a summer morning • Once the air has warmed, the relative humidity drops since the air can hold more moisture
You’ve seen water on the outside of a cold drink? • The cold air around the glass causes a lower temperature at which the air is saturated