What is a cumulus weather?
What are cumulus clouds? Cumulus clouds are detached, individual, cauliflower-shaped clouds usually spotted in fair weather conditions. The tops of these clouds are mostly brilliant white tufts when lit by the Sun, although their base is usually relatively dark.
What is cumulus for kids?
Cumulus clouds are white, puffy clouds that look like pieces of floating cotton. Cumulus clouds are often called “fair-weather clouds”. The base of each cloud is flat and the top of each cloud has rounded towers….
| Clouds with Vertical Growth | Cumulus Cumulonimbus |
|---|---|
| Special Clouds | Mammatus Lenticular Fog Contrails |
What is cumulus definition?
1 : heap, accumulation. 2 [New Latin, from Latin] : a dense puffy cloud form having a flat base and rounded outlines often piled up like a mountain — see cloud illustration. Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About cumulus.
Are cumulus clouds warm or cold?
Cumulus clouds are the most common cloud types that are produced by cold fronts. They often grow into cumulonimbus clouds, which produce thunderstorms. Cold fronts can also produce nimbostratus, stratocumulus, and stratus clouds.
What is a cumulus cloud made up of?
Cumulus clouds can be composed of ice crystals, water droplets, supercooled water droplets, or a mixture of them. The water droplets form when water vapor condenses on the nuclei, and they may then coalesce into larger and larger droplets.
What’s the difference between cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds?
Cumulus clouds are puffy clouds that sometimes look like pieces of floating cotton. Cumulonimbus clouds are thunderstorm clouds that form if cumulus congestus clouds continue to grow vertically.
What is an interesting fact about cumulus clouds?
Cumulus clouds are puffy clouds that sometimes look like pieces of floating cotton. The base of each cloud is often flat and may be only 1000 meters (3300 feet) above the ground. The top of the cloud has rounded towers.
What are 3 differences between cumulus and stratus clouds?
Cumulus clouds result from air rising due to positive buoyancy (i.e. metaphor: bubbles rising in a pot of water). Stratus clouds results from a forced lifting of air (low level convergence, upper level divergence). Stratus on the ground is fog.
What language is cumulus?
Latin
Mid 17th century (denoting a heap or an accumulation): from Latin, ‘heap’.
Do cumulus clouds bring rain?
Cumulus clouds are created by strong updrafts of warm, moist air. Most forms of heavy precipitation fall from cumulus clouds. The weather they bring depends on their height and size. Clouds located close to the ground mean heavy snow or rain.
What color is cumulus cloud?
Fair weather cumulus have the appearance of floating cotton with a flat base and distinct outlines, and colors range from white to light gray.
What’s the kids definition of a cumulus cloud?
Kids Definition of cumulus : a massive cloud form having a flat base and rounded outlines often piled up like a mountain
What kind of weather does a cumulonimbus cloud produce?
Cumulonimbus clouds are large, tall clouds that are dark on the bottom and usually produce rain and thunderstorms. In fact, they are sometimes called thunderstorm clouds, but they can also bring different kinds of weather, including hail and snow showers, which might even get you out of school for a snow day!
What’s the difference between a cumulus congestus and a cumulonimbus?
Cumulonimbus clouds fully developed are much different than your typical fair-weather cumulus cloud, but a cumulus congestus cloud is the precursor to a cumulonimbus cloud. If you’re trying to decide between the two, and the cloud in question has precipitation, lightning, or a fibrous upper portion, you can consider it a cumulonimbus cloud.
What’s the difference between altocumulus and cumulus clouds?
Cumulus clouds are more often seen as individual clouds. Cumulus clouds are also much closer to the ground. A key reminder trying to determine the difference between cumulus and altocumulus clouds are that the two cloud types don’t have any shared cloud species.