You’re going for a picnic, and you decided to rest for a bit. You look up to the sky and see a cloud. Clouds are very fun to look at, because the more you look at it, the more things it seems to look like. First it looks like a dog, then a dragon, then a bus, then a table, then Jupiter! But I’m sure you know that there is no such thing as a table cloud. Or a dragon-eating-a-shark cloud. But there are names for clouds. So come on with me and learn about the world of clouds. Types of Clouds Cumulus clouds are the clouds in the sky that looks like heaps of cotton. Short cumulus clouds mean good weather ahead. However, tall cumulus clouds can turn into thunderstorms. Cumulus clouds are pretty close to the ground, generally being below 1000 miles (1609.34km). The name for this cloud came from the Latin prefix cumulo-, which means heap or pile. Cumulus clouds are known as low level clouds. The next type of cloud is the Stratus cloud. It looks like flat sheets of clouds. These clouds can mean a gloomy day or steady rain. It is possible for them to stay in one place for several days. Stratus clouds are around less than 2000 meters away from us. Stratus clouds are also known as low level clouds. The Cirrus cloud looks like a long feather. Cirrus clouds are so high up in the air, they are actually ice particles. They are 6000 meters high! If there are cirrus clouds in the sky, you can expect fair weather. The cirrus cloud is known a s a high level cloud. Cumulonimbus clouds are very angry clouds, as they bring thunder! Cumulonimbus clouds are very special, as they can bring hail, thunder, and lightning! The tops of cumulonimbus clouds can reach 12,000 meters or more! They are also the only clouds that can reach all three categories: low level clouds, mid-level clouds and high level clouds! Nimbostratus clouds are known for bringing rain! They are mid-level clouds and are around 2000 meters or less. They are thick enough to block sunlight and are dark and grey. Or the last 2 clouds, did you realize the key word I used? It was “nimbus”, and it means rain or bad weather falling from the clouds. Moving on, we have fog, which is a cloud that is located on the ground! We all know about fog: it’s annoying and it makes it hard to see. And obviously, it is a low level cloud. Stratocumulus clouds are patches of puffy clouds, that can range between grey or white. When there are stratocumulus clouds, you can still see parts of the sky. They are low level clouds. Altocumulus clouds are the most common clouds, and they sometimes appear with other types of clouds too. They are mid-level clouds and are also like grey or white patches. Cirrocumulus clouds are high level clouds that are formed by very small elements that are in the form of grains or ripples. You may have noticed other key words, such as cirrus, stratus, and cumulus. This is because those are the main cloud groups! How rain works If you wanted to know the rain cycle, here it is now. First, water from the ocean gets heated into vapour (not all of it though!). Then. The vapour goes into the air. When the vapour reaches the heights of the sky, it becomes water droplets again. The water droplets form to make clouds, and when the water drops are heavy enough, they fall, to make the rain. The making of hail and snow is the same, except when the vapour goes into the air, it cools down so much that it becomes solid: ice or snow! Summary Cirrus cloud are feathery Cumulus clouds are puffy Stratus clouds are like flat sheets, and usually bring rain. Thunder clouds are the only clouds that can reach low level clouds, mid-level clouds and high level clouds. Rain is made when water evaporates, the vapour reaches the top of the sky, cools down and forms together. Then, when the water drops get heavy enough, they fall, to make rain. Conclusion I hope you have learned something knew about clouds. During the research for this blog, I have learned lots of new things. Have a great day and always remember: that dragon-eating-a-shark cloud is actually a cumulus cloud.