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How are clouds formed? • Clouds are formed when warm air rises. This air expands and cools. Because cool air can’t hold as much water as warm air, some of the vapor condenses onto tiny pieces of dust that are floating in the air. A tiny droplet forms around each dust particle. They become a visible cloud when billions of these droplets come together.
What is a cloud? • A cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals. • The droplets are so small and light that they can float in the air.
2 km from the ground Indicate fair weather Look like fluffy cotton balls Cumulus
Flat layers. Covers most of the sky. When thick produce drizzle, rain or snow. Stratus
Wispy and feathery. Form only at high altitude. Made of ice crystals Cirrus
This means rain, and refers to clouds that produce rain. Nimbus
Nimbostratus Rain
Altostratus (Alto means middle level clouds)