CLOUDS AND WEATHER

Clouds * A cloud is visible aggregate of small water droplets and/or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere and can exist in a different of shapes and sizes. The droplets are so small and light that they can float in the air. * Some clouds are accompanied by precipitation in the form of rain, snow, hail, sleet, and even freezing rain.
BASIC FORMS OF CLOUDS
Clouds are classified based on their appearance and height
1. Cirrus – characterized by high, white, thin and wispy fibers similar to a feathery appearance.

2. Cumulus – consists of globular individual cloud masses. It is similar to a cauliflower structure.
3. Stratus – best describes as sheets or layer covering much or all the sky.

LEVELS OF CLOUDS
1. High Clouds – this above 6000 meters a) Cirrus -> thin and delicate and appear as book filaments sometimes called “mares tales.” b) Cirrocumulus-> consist of fluffy matters. c) Cirrostratus -> appear as flat layer. 2. Middle Clouds – have a prefix also part of their name ranging from 2000-6000 meters. a) Altocumulus-> composed of globular masses compared to cirrocumulus which are larger and denser. b) Altostratus-> produce a uniform white to grayish sheet covering the sky with the sum or moon visible as a bright spot.
3. Low Clouds – have a prefix alto part of their name ranging from 2000-6000 meters. a) Stratus-> are uniform fog like layer of clouds that commonly covers much of the sky. b) Stratostratus-> a stratus cloud that developed a scallop bottom that appears as long parallel rolls or broken globular patches. c) Stratonimbus-> came from the Latin nimbus which means “rainy cloud” and stratus, which means “to cover with a layer”. It is considered as one of the major precipitation producers.
Weather Fronts * Fronts are boundaries of transition between two different masses of different temperatures. It i actually a thin transition zone between two air masses ranging from 5 to 30 kilometers wide where the air masses do not mix in this narrow zone.

TYPES OF FRONTS
1. Cold Front. A front in which cold air mass is displacing warm air at the surface. It is characterized by 1:100 (vertical to horizontal) slopes. It tends to move faster than all other types of fronts, it tends to be associated with the most violent weather and equal lines. Cold fronts are able to move the farthest away while maintaiing their intensity.

2. Warm Front. A front in which warm air mass is displacing cooler air at the surface. It is characterized by 1:200 (gentler than cold fronts) slope. It tends to move slowly. Compared to cold fronts, warm fronts are typically less violent although they can trigger thunderstorm. Warm fronts are more likely to be linked with the large regions of gentle ascent.

3. Stationary Front. This is a front which hardly moves or does not move at all. Stationary fronts behave like warm fronts, but are more inactive. The winds on both sides of a stationary front are parallel to the front several times. Stationary front is formed when polar air masses are modified significantly so as to lose their nature. 4. Occluded Front. Occluded front is formed when they can catch up to and overtake their related warm front and this is due to the faster movement of cold fronts than warm fronts lifting it into the air. It is an indication of mature storm systems.