Observation of the clouds is suitable for dreamers, scientists, nature lovers and even you! While it is natural to define soft clouds as "heavy, rainy, or black", if you are interested in their classification it can be fun (and useful) to know the right terminology. The classification of clouds, first used by the English scientist Luke Howard, is based on their height (low, medium and high), their shape (heaps and layers) and the time they carry with them.
Steps
Step 1. Deepen your knowledge of clouds
There are many different types. Knowledge of the clouds can be a good topic of conversation, but it is of fundamental importance for those engaged in activities that can become dangerous when the weather changes abruptly, such as hiking or sailing. Knowing how to recognize clouds by shape can help you forecast the weather without having to use other tools.
- The shape of the clouds indicates the stability of the atmosphere.
- The height of the clouds allows you to establish the distance of a storm.
- The shape and height together make it possible to establish the probability of precipitation (rain, snow or hail).
- Fun Facts: Some UFO sightings are actually clouds with strange shapes. In particular, clouds with lenticular shapes are associated with warm fronts close to mountain ranges.
Step 2. If you like outdoor activities, it is an excellent idea to learn to predict the weather by looking at the clouds
Although this is not an article on weather forecasts, it is useful to know that experts in the outdoors know how to predict the weather by looking at the various types of clouds. The different types of clouds form along the hot and cold fronts; a good meteorologist should be able to tell what the weather will be by interpreting the shape and height of the clouds.
Method 1 of 4: The Shape of the Clouds
Step 1. Recognize clouds by shape
Heaps and strata are the two main forms to consider.
- Cumulus clouds: these are the largest, the ones that look like cotton bales. These clouds have a thickness that is normally equal to or greater than their width and have well-defined edges. The mounds indicate that the air is unstable at the altitude at which they are located.
- Layered Clouds: These are layered clouds and often appear flat. They are usually wider than they are tall. They indicate atmospheric stability, but can also be a harbinger of a non-violent storm principle. When there is fog, it is usually accompanied by layered clouds.
Method 2 of 4: High Clouds
Step 1. Observe the so-called high clouds
They are the clouds that are found between 6000 and 13000 meters of altitude. They include cirrus, cirrostratus and cirrocumulus. They tend to be icy (filled with ice crystals) and have poorly defined edges; they are vaporous and thin, hardly visible to the human eye.
- At this altitude there are also contrails from aircraft exhausts.
- At sunrise and sunset, high clouds produce beautiful colors such as red, orange and yellow in the sky.
- Circles of light around the moon or sun are caused by cirrus clouds. A halo around the sun or moon can suggest the arrival of rain or snow, especially if it is accompanied by an accumulation of low clouds.
- Cirrus clouds often partially cover the sun.
Step 2. Learn to recognize cirrus clouds
Cirrus clouds are recognized by their white, thin and fluffy texture. They are usually found at a height of 6000 meters. The thinness is due to the freezing winds of the upper atmosphere. Cirrus clouds are made of ice crystals formed from icy droplets.
- Cirrus clouds are sparse and usually harbingers of good weather. When they turn into cirrostratus, wind and precipitation are more likely in the next 24-36 hours. Cirrus clouds indicate overlying humidity; if they turn into other layers and then into layers, a thunderstorm will soon come.
- Cirrus clouds bring warm fronts.
- The direction in which the cirrus clouds are moving indicates the direction of the wind and, therefore, the time that is coming.
- Sometimes cirrus clouds look like ponytails.
Step 3. Learn to recognize cirrocumulus
These clouds are usually striped and look like blown waves. Some think they resemble fish scales. The wave shape is caused by air turbulence; they are bad for those who fly through, but they bring good news for those on the ground because it means that the weather will remain unchanged without major changes.
Step 4. Observe the cirrostrata
These clouds do not have a defined shape and a nebulous appearance. They usually spread across a large part of the sky, indicating rain will come soon. The thicker cirrostrata are part of a thunderstorm system that is coming.
Step 5. Learn the difference between cirrus and cirrostratus
Cirrostrata are made of ice crystals, but unlike cirrus clouds, they can cover the entire sky and be very thick. Cirrus clouds are thin and almost transparent.
Step 6. Look at the contrails
Although they are trails left by planes, they can be useful for understanding what the weather is like at high altitude. Trails are the condensation that forms when aircraft exhausts mix with the very cold air that surrounds the aircraft in the atmosphere above.
- If the trails disappear immediately, or you see a plane that leaves no trails, it means that the atmosphere you are observing is very dry. On a beautiful day, you can say that the weather will stay that way for a while.
- On the other hand, if the trails are evident for a long time, they are long and wide, it means that the atmosphere is humid. Take your raincoat and umbrella because the weather will change soon, if it hasn't already changed.
Method 3 of 4: Medium Clouds
Step 1. Learn to recognize clouds at an average altitude
They are usually at a height between 2000 and 6000 meters. They usually have the prefix "alto-" in their name and are known as both altocumuli and altostrati. They are less defined than low clouds, although the warmer ones have sharp edges due to the presence of water and the colder ones have more defined edges due to the presence of ice crystals.
- This type of cloud scattered across the blue sky indicates stable good weather and is often accompanied by clear skies and high pressure.
- The altostrata that drop and experience southern winds in the northern hemisphere (vice versa in the southern one) indicate the arrival of a storm, but usually after many hours.
Step 2. Learn to recognize the high mounds
Altocumulus clouds are clouds that can usually be seen in summer. They appear as small clouds that are distributed in the sky. Altocumulus clouds are formed by convection (vertical atmospheric movements) and cold fronts. They are usually followed by hot and humid summer mornings and thunderstorms in the afternoons.
You can distinguish altocumulus and high clouds by looking at the shades. The upper mounds usually have shades in the lower part
Step 3. Look at the altostrata
These clouds are not very interesting: they tend to be grayish, shapeless. Behind these clouds you could see the brightness of the sun. When these clouds move across the sky, expect rain or snow.
Step 4. Look for the lenticular clouds around the mountain ranges
These lens-shaped clouds cannot be seen everywhere; they tend to form only around mountain ranges and mountain tops due to the way the wind blows up the slopes. If you are at the base of the mountain, you shouldn't have any problems, but if you are on the mountain or flying above it, expect strong winds and turbulence. When you are in the mountains and you see a cloud cover coming down, expect bad weather and seek shelter.
Method 4 of 4: Low Clouds
Step 1. Check for low clouds
These clouds are usually found below 2000 meters and keep the earth cool by reflecting the sun's heat from the earth's surface. They are usually bluish-gray and harbingers of rain, because they are full of water droplets. Low clouds present early in the morning usually dry out before they can release rain if the sun can evaporate them, which usually happens on a bright day, but expect rain if it doesn't. In fact, low clouds are usually carriers of rain because they do not have time to evaporate before the water reaches the earth.
Rain or snow is very likely if you see a lot of low, dark clouds. Low clouds with a thickness of 900 meters mean rain; since you cannot measure the thickness, see if they are dark
Step 2. Look for the nembostrates
The nembostrati are dark, low, carriers of light but continuous rain. This type of cloud usually completely covers the sky. They are generally composed of water droplets and bring both snow and rain. They stand out from the newly analyzed clouds because they are dark, large and threatening.
Step 3. Check the sky for cumulonimbus clouds
You recognize them for their compact nature. They fill the sky with their swollen and compact appearance that distinguishes them from cirrus and altocumulus clouds. Cumulonimbus clouds are usually associated with thunderstorms, lightning, heavy rain, blizzard or hail. They can also turn into tornadoes or hurricanes.
- This type of clouds looks like a big explosion, some resemble an anvil; the tip of the anvil faces the direction in which the wind blows.
- In the case of particular atmospheric instability, you may see what is called a tower pile. This type of cloud has its base at the level of low clouds and can reach the height of high clouds. It's a bad sign: it brings strong winds, lightning, heavy rain and hail. In some areas it indicates the arrival of a tornado.
- It brings bad weather with it, but usually short-lived. The weather following this type of cloud is usually nice.
Advice
- The color, shape and size of the clouds are a good way to tell them apart.
- The fog is formed by low clouds. It is thick, moist and if you walk in it you will feel wet. Fog can persist if there is no wind, especially near lakes and the sea. When it's windier or the sun warms the fog, it goes away quickly.
- This article is not exhaustive for all types of clouds. If you are interested in the topic, search online for more information (https://weather.missouri.edu/OCA/).
