cloud

Learning Goal 1a. Identify & classify clouds, and relate them
to local and larger-scale weather systems and to potential hazards to
aircraft.

We can divide clouds into “normal” clouds and “special” clouds.
Here, we explore normal clouds. Special clouds are covered in Learning Goal
1b.

Normal clouds are classified into two categories (click on these
links for more photos):

The table below compares cumuliform and stratiform clouds (z =
height above ground). For more info and cloud photos for each of
these categories, click on the links
above.

cloud	Sketch of different types of this cloud	Sample photo
cumuliform
Stratiform

Stratocumulus
are a low-altitude layer of lumpy clouds.  They don’t fit well in
the normal cumuliform or stratiform groups, yet they have
characteristics of both groups.  There are many photos of
stratocumulus clouds in Learning Goal 1c on cloud-coverage, but here is
a good photo and the associated video.

For more photo of the main type of stratiform and cumuliform
cloud , see

   
https://www.weather.gov/jetstream/clouds_intro

And the basic cloud types as viewed from aircraft:

    https://cloudatlas.wmo.int/observation-of-clouds-from-aircraft-descriptions.html

Key words: convective
clouds, cumuliform clouds,
layer clouds, stratiform clouds, stratocumulus

Extra info for experts;
Not Needed for this
Course.

use this expert_resource link to find all the item
list below :

• Item  –  Topic
• World.A.1. – World Meteorological Organization (WMO) “International Cloud Atlas”
• USA.B.1. – Wikipedia list
  of cloud types
• World.A.2. –  WMO: Manual on Cloud Observations (an old, outdated document)
• USA.A.1. – American Meteorological Society (AMS): Glossary of Meteorology
• USA.C.1. – Practical Meteorology (PrMet): Chapter 6, cloud

Image credits. All figures by Roland Stull.