SOL 4.6a (Clouds and Thunderstorms)

Hurricane

A storm which forms over water with heavy winds over 75 miles per hour (mph)

Tornado

A violent storm with a rotating column of air.

Fair weather clouds

Cirrus Clouds

Dark and heavy clouds

Cumulonimbus Clouds

Cotton Ball Clouds

Cumulus Clouds

Fluffy and white Clouds

Cumulus Clouds

Precipitation

Forms of water that fall from the sky. Examples: snow, sleet, hail, rain

Fog Clouds

Stratus Clouds

Light Rain Clouds

Stratus Clouds

What are clouds made of?

Tiny droplets of water or ice

Thunderstorm

a common storm with winds, rain, thunder, and lightning

Stratocumulus clouds

low, puffy and gray. Most form in rows with blue sky visible in between them. Rain rarely occurs with stratocumulus clouds, however, they can turn into nimbostratus clouds.

Cirrus Clouds

the most common of the high clouds. They are composed of ice and are thin, wispy clouds blown in high winds into long streamers. Cirrus clouds are usually white and predict fair to pleasant weather.

Cumulonimbus clouds

thunderstorm clouds. High winds can flatten the top of the cloud into an anvil-like shape. Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with heavy rain, snow, hail, lightning and even tornadoes. The anvil usually points in the direction the storm is moving.

Stratus clouds

uniform grayish clouds that often cover the entire sky. They resemble fog that doesn't reach the ground. Light mist or drizzle sometimes falls out of these clouds.

Cumulus clouds

white, puffy clouds that look like pieces of floating cotton. Cumulus clouds are often called "fair-weather clouds". The base of each cloud is flat and the top of each cloud has rounded towers. These clouds grow upward and they can develop into giant cumulonimbus clouds, which are thunderstorm clouds.