Why Are There Different Kinds Of Clouds?

Warm air, laden with moisture rises into the sky. When it gets to a certain height, the warm air became cool. At the cooler temperatures it can no longer hold all its moisture in the form of water vapour. So the extra moisture changes into small drops of water, or bits of ice and this forms clouds.

No two clouds are exactly alike, and they are always changing their shape. The reason we have different types of clouds is that cold formation takes place at different heights and temperatures. Clouds will be composed of different particles, depending on their height and temperature. For this reason clouds are different.

The highest cloud is called "noctilucent" clouds. "Nacreous" or "mother-of-pearl" is the next to it. The next highest clouds which are five or more miles above the earth are called "cirrus" clouds, "cirrostratus" clouds and "cirrocumulus" clouds.

Lower clouds are made of little drops of water. There are two types, one is altocumulus cloud, and another is altostratus cloud. Lower still, about a mile high, are the nimbostratus clouds and at the same level are the rain clouds, the nimbostratus clouds, cumulus clouds and cauliflower clouds that bring thunder and storms.

There are 3 basic types of cloud. They are cumulus clouds, which look like fluffy castles in the sky, cirrus clouds, which look like brush strokes, and strats clouds, which are a thick layer of cloud.

Cumulus
   stratus
nimbus