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What is it called when clouds are flat on the bottom?
Cumulus clouds are, indeed, flat-bottomed because they ride atop currents of rising warm air (warmer than the air surrounding them). This occurs at about the same height in a given air mass at a given location, and the cumulus clouds at that spot have flat bottoms all at about the same height.
What do flat clouds mean?
Stratus clouds are dull grayish clouds that often stretch across and block the entire sky; stratus means “a layer” and these clouds form flat, unbroken sheets, like a fog that is not on the ground. Stratus clouds produce only mist, drizzle or very light snow.
Why are some clouds lower than others?
The various cloud types have different characteristics that are dictated by the elements available, including the amount of water vapor, the temperatures at that height, the wind, and the interplay of other air masses. Colder clouds are higher in the atmosphere while warmer ones are closer to the surface.
Why are clouds black on the bottom?
When clouds are thin, they let a large portion of the light through and appear white. But like any objects that transmit light, the thicker they are, the less light makes it through. As their thickness increases, the bottoms of clouds look darker but still scatter all colors. We perceive this as gray.
What is a white fluffy cloud called?
Cumulus. Cumulus clouds look like fluffy, white cotton balls in the sky. They are beautiful in sunsets, and their varying sizes and shapes can make them fun to observe!
What is the rarest type of cloud?
Kelvin Helmholtz Waves are perhaps the rarest cloud formation of all. Rumored to be the inspiration for Van Gogh’s masterpiece “Starry Night”, they are incredibly distinctive. They are mainly associated with cirrus, altocumulus, and stratus clouds over 5,000m.
Are nimbus clouds high or low?
Nimbostratus are dark, low-level clouds accompanied by light to moderately falling precipitation. Low clouds are primarily composed of water droplets since their bases generally lie below 6,500 feet (2,000 meters). However, when temperatures are cold enough, these clouds may also contain ice particles and snow.
What causes clouds to form the flat bottom?
Cumulus Cloud. For your typical cumulus cloud,this process is due to a pocket of air being warmed near the ground.
Why do clouds look like they have flat bottoms?
Clouds are flat on the bottom because this is the transition point where the temperature & pressure are at a point where the air cannot hold all of it’s water in its gaseous form (clouds are made of water in its liquid or solid state). As you increase in altitude, temperature and atmospheric pressure decrease.
Why are cumulus clouds flat on the bottom?
Because air pressure decreases at the rate of 0.91 inches per 1,000 feet of ascent, rising air expands and cools. The flat bottom of cumulus clouds defines the exact height at which a critical combination of temperature and air pressure causes water vapor within the rising current to condense into a visible cloud.
What are clouds called that have a flat bottom?
cumulus cloud. a heaped, puffy, white cloud with a flat bottom. fairweather clouds. cumulus clouds are also called. thunderheads. cumulonimbus clouds are also called. fog. a stratus cloud that forms next to the ground because warm, moist air comes in contact with the cool ground.