Why do clouds have different names and shapes?
Good Morning Students, Answers to your questions: Miranda asks Why do clouds have different names and shapes? Miranda, clouds come in two main groups – stratiform or layered clouds and cumuliform or heaped clouds. They form at three main levels in the atmosphere – low, middle and high. They are composed of water droplets, ice crystals or a combination of the two. Two types of cloud produce particularly heavy rain and use the term “nimbus” meaning rain. Thus the ten cloud types: Low cloud Stratus – layered Cumulus – heaped Stratocumulus – heaped cloud in layers Cumulonimbus – heaped rain cloud Middle level cloud (Alto) Altostratus – middle level layered cloud Altocumulus – middle level heaped cloud Nimbostratus – layered rain cloud High level cloud (Cirro) Cirrus – high cloud Cirrostratus – high layered cloud Cirrocumulus – high heaped cloud Steve Symonds 6: Sometimes when we see cirrus cloud in the sky we know the weather will be fine – at other times we are told it may be signalling a
