Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Cumulus clouds are often precursors of other types of clouds, such as cumulonimbus, when influenced by weather factors such as instability, humidity, and temperature gradient. Normally, cumulus clouds produce little or no precipitation, but they can grow into the precipitation-bearing cumulus congestus or cumulonimbus clouds.
Field of cumulus clouds. Weather and climate model gridboxes have sides of between 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) and 300 kilometres (190 mi). A typical cumulus cloud has a scale of less than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi), and would require a grid even finer than this to be represented physically by the equations of fluid motion.
Cumulus humilis clouds are formed by rising warm air or thermals with ascending air currents of 2–5 m/s (7–17 ft/s). [5] These clouds are usually very small convective clouds and usually form after a thermal reaches the condensation level. They can develop into cumulus mediocris clouds but most often dissipate a few minutes after formation. [6]
Sometimes the inversion layer is at a high enough altitude that cumulus clouds can condense but can only spread out under the inversion layer. This decreases the amount of sunlight reaching the ground and prevents new thermals from forming. As the clouds disperse, sunny weather replaces cloudiness in a cycle that can occur more than once a day.
Some atmospheric conditions, such as very warm, moist, air in an atmosphere that cools rapidly with height, can promote strong and sustained upward air movement, possibly stimulating the formation of cumulus clouds or cumulonimbus (thunderstorm clouds). In that situation the potential energy of the atmosphere to cause upward air movement is ...
Cumulus fractus (WMO genus and species) – ragged detached portions of cumulus cloud. Cumulus humilis (WMO genus and species) – small, low, flattened cumulus, early development. Cumulus mediocris (WMO genus and species) – medium-sized cumulus with bulges at the top. Cumulus pileus (WMO genus and accessory cloud) – capped, hood-shaped ...
Turkey tower is a slang term for a narrow, tall, individual towering cloud from a small cumulus cloud which develops and suddenly falls apart. [7] Sudden development of turkey towers could signify the breaking or weakening of a capping inversion , [ 8 ] and an area where these consistently form is an "agitated area", a term that applies to ...
A tornado is a dangerous rotating column of air in contact with both the surface of the earth and the base of a cumulonimbus cloud (thundercloud), or a cumulus cloud in rare cases. Tornadoes come in many sizes but typically form a visible condensation funnel whose narrowest end reaches the earth and is surrounded by a cloud of debris and dust.