CLOUD PRIMER

Clouds are the moisture in the air changed from an invisible gas to visible water droplets. They are actually transparent, but like billions of glass beads they scatter sunlight that gives them the illusion of white. Clouds and weather in general are all about the movement of heat, cold and moisture exchanges. The three basic types of clouds are: cumulus ( lumpy), stratus ( layers) and cirrus ( icy), with variations of each. Cirrus clouds are white wispy clouds. They indicate fair weather now, but precede a change in weather patterns within the next 24 hours, usually bringing precipitation. Altostratus are grey and/ or blue clouds that cover the whole sky. They tend to forecast a storm in the very near future. Altocumulus are grayish- white clouds blanketing the entire sky. They are dense clouds with dark and light patterns. They mean rain later in the day. Stratocumulus are low- lying solid clouds that are often formed when fog lifts off the ground. Usually they bring light precipitation, fog, mist or snow. Nimbostratus is a solid sheet of grey cloud with a little bit of differentiation. It’s almost always raining when you see these in the sky. Cumulus are cotton- like white clouds present in fair weather. When they start to pile up tall in the sky, storms are coming. Cumulonimbus are cumulus clouds that have grown vertically. These are true storm clouds that bring rain, high winds and lightening with them. They can form an anvil- like shape, with the anvil pointing in the direction the storm is moving. The lower the bottom is in the sky, the sooner it will drop rain.