The sky offers the most amazing natural spectacles for those who allow themselves to be surprised every day. Either at night when it acts as a window to outer space, or during the day when intricate cloud shapes of different sizes and peculiar appearances appear. Perhaps you have been observing the sky for a long time and discovered that what appear to be indecipherable cloud shapes actually have patterns and coincidences. In other words, clouds also have a categorization that helps us decipher the secrets of the climate. How many types of clouds are there? Join us to discover it.
What are clouds?
To decipher its secrets, you must first understand what a cloud is and how it is formed. These pieces of cotton are actually formed by the cooling of the air, which causes the condensation of the vapor present in the sky. This turns into a water droplet or even ice particles. But the particles are so small that they are held aloft by vertical air currents. In other words, clouds are made up of water suspended in the air.
But then, how come there are different types of clouds? The answer is that nature is more intricate than we think. So the different cloud formations are due to the different condensation temperatures. That is, when temperatures are below freezing, clouds are usually made up of ice crystals. And on the contrary, those that form in warmer air are usually composed of water droplets.
There are three categories of clouds that are differentiated by their height and in turn these contain different types of clouds. We have high, medium and low clouds.
high clouds
Cirrus clouds: Among the high-level clouds are cirrus clouds, which are usually almost transparent white in color and without internal shadows. Its appearance is more like long, thin filaments, as if the sky had been painted with a brush of white paint. Cirrus clouds are clouds that predict a sudden change in weather in the next 24 hours.
Cirrocumulus: They are very similar to cirrus clouds, except that they have rounded shapes in their filaments. When cirrocumulus clouds invade the sky, it is often said that it has a sheepish appearance. They are completely white and also lack shadows. They predict a change in weather in the next 12 hours.
Cirrostratus: Their main characteristic is that they are formed by ice crystals and therefore, they are usually accompanied by the optical phenomenon known as a halo. Which is a kind of circular rainbow that surrounds the sun.
Medium clouds
Altocumulus: These formations give the appearance of medium-sized cotton clusters with an irregular structure. They do present shadows between their figures, and they are also characterized by their undulations or wide striations in their lower part. Altocumulus clouds usually appear in the sky when rain or storms are approaching.
Altostratus: The appearance they usually give is that of a uniform layer of clouds with irregular patches. They spread through thin layers with some dense areas. This generally portends fine rain with drops in temperature.
Low clouds
Nimbostratus: This type of clouds usually generate spring and summer rains and snow during the winter. Its appearance is that of an irregular dark gray layer with varying degrees of opacity. Their shades vary, ranging from the most intense grays to striated parts where more light can be seen.
Stratocumulus: They are low-level clouds that have as their main characteristic several cloud layers of different density levels. They are grouped in elongated formations, although slightly separated from each other, not like nimbostratus, which are usually a joint mass of clouds. They do not generate rain or snow storms.
Strata: Its appearance is that of a grayish fog bank without a well-defined structure. They can generate light drizzles, although they are usually indicators of good weather.
Vertical development clouds
Cumulus clouds: If there is one type of cloud that has a cottony appearance that ranges from the most pristine whites to the darkest grays, those are cumulus clouds. They form in large groups although separated from each other, so it is possible to see the blue of the sky in some parts of the sky. They generally appear in summer and predict good weather.
Cumulonimbus: The most imposing clouds are cumulonimbus clouds, which tend to form very dense groups of clouds made up of water droplets inside and water crystals at the top. They can generate different types of precipitation, ranging from drizzle, to storms with lightning, as well as hail and snow.