The Different Types Of Clouds

Clouds are scientifically defined as  aggregated minute droplets of water that float on the atmosphere of our earth. They normally form just by the evaporation of water from the ocean and earth surface  When the water vapor begins to condense, due to low temperature, in the particular height of earth atmosphere they will become visible clouds. Whenever the clouds are further condensed due to low temperature and pressure they start to produce rain. The clouds get different names according to their height from the earth surface.

High Altitude, Medium Altitude, Low Altitude and Vertical are four types of clouds.

High Altitude clouds usually form above 20,000 ft. Cirrus, Cirrostratus and Cirrocumulus are three sub-types of high altitude ones. Cirrus clouds are composed of ice crystals and look like thin filaments. Many of them are so long as they can stretch across continents. The second type, Cirrostratus are sheet like cirrus clouds, and the third one called Cirrocumulus are the group of small clouds look like fish scales.

Medium Altitude clouds always form between 6000 ft and 20,000 ft. They are saturated with humidity and can immediately change weather by producing rain and snow. Altostratus are a small pattern of rainy clouds that obscure sun and moon. And another type of medium altitude clouds called Altocumulus are really larger and darker which can produce heavy rain.

Low Altitude ones are lying just below 6000 ft. Stratus, Stratocumulus and Nimbostratus are some of three sub types of such type of clouds. Stratus clouds normally float just few hundred foot above ground level and won't give any rain. Stratocumulus are large grey clouds that also won't produce rain and while Nimbostratus are the  dark clouds which can give rain and snow fall.

Cumulus and Cumulonimbus are two types of vertical clouds. They usually appear dark at the bottom and white on the top. The cumulus clouds could have a height of about 12,000 ft and another type called cumulonimbus clouds can produce hail stones,lightning and heavy thunder showers  vertically extending up to 45,000 ft.