This document discusses various types of clouds and precipitation. It explains that clouds form through processes like adiabatic cooling, orographic lifting, and frontal wedging. Clouds are classified by height as high, middle, or low clouds. Precipitation occurs through warm cloud processes like collision-coalescence or cold cloud processes like the Bergeron process. Other types of precipitation include rain, snow, sleet, glaze and hail. Fog is also discussed as a cloud at ground level.

1. Clouds and Precipitation
By: Justin Haines

2. Adiabatic Temperature Changes and
Expansion and Cooling
• When Air is Heated it expands and becomes
less dense.
• For the molecules to spread out they need
energy as they do they become less agitated.
• When air cools down it falls to the surface of
the earth more pressure is added causing
them to heat up.
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-
kids/0070-adiabatic-temperature-changes.php
http://www.kidsgeo.com/images/adiabatic.jpg

3. Orographic Lifting
• Is when air masses rise over a mountain
range.
• When it rises it cools to the point where
condensation takes place and precipitation is
common.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orographic_lift
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm
ons/b/b2/Orographic_lifting_of_the_air_-
_NOAA.jpg

4. Frontal Wedging
• When warm air and cold air collide at the
surface, or front.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_frontal_
wedging
http://www.wou.edu/las/physci/taylor/gs
106/atm2_precip_files/slide0004_image0
43.jpg

5. Convergence
• A region in the atmosphere where two
prevailing flows meet and interact resulting in
distinct weather conditions.
http://en.wikipedia.org
/wiki/Convergence_zon
e
http://upload.wikimedi
a.org/wikipedia/comm
ons/1/12/Intertropical
ConvergenceZone-
EO.jpg

6. Localized Convective Lifting
• Is the warm convection air rising over a
particular local area.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question
/index?qid=20090504182240AAIVf
Q3
http://www.richhoffmanclass.com/i
mages/chapter4/seabreeze.gif

7. Stability (Density Differences &
Stability and Daily Weather)
• Condensation that happens when the air
temperature actually increases with the height
of a temperature inversion.
http://shoalwater.nsw.gov.au/Educatio
n/images/water%20cycle/condensation
_main.jpg

8. Condensation
• Water that collects as droplets on a cold surface
when humid air is in contact with it.
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-
for-kids/0107-condensation.php
http://www.weatherquestions.com/condensati
on.gif

9. Types of Clouds
• Cirrus clouds: Are high, white, and thing. They
can occur as patches or as sheets or extended
fibers that have a feathery look.
• Cumulus Clouds: Rounded masses. Usually
have a flat base and look like towers.
• Stratus Clouds: They look like sheets or layers
that cover much or the whole sky.
Book
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm
ons/thumb/2/2e/CirrusField-color.jpg/300px-
CirrusField-color.jpg

10. High Clouds
• High clouds are usually ranging from about
16,500 and 45,000 ft in latitudes.
• Clouds at this level are cirrus, cirrocumulus,
and cirrostratus
http://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word
=high%20clouds
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm
ons/thumb/a/a0/Cirrocumulus_Clouds_July_2
010.jpg/300px-
Cirrocumulus_Clouds_July_2010.jpg

11. Middle Clouds
• Clouds at the altitude between 6,500 and
23,000 ft.
• These clouds are Altocumulus, altostratus, and
nimbostratus
http://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word
=Middle+clouds
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm
ons/thumb/1/13/Altocumulus.jpg/300px-
Altocumulus.jpg

12. Low Clouds
• Lower level clouds are clouds at the lower
levels of the atmosphere these clouds usually
reflect lower levels of light creating low
contrast.
• Lower level clouds: cumulus, stratocumulus
and stratus.
http://australiasevereweather.com/techniques
/moreadv/class.htm#1
http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/collecting/
wp-
content/uploads/2008/12/11stratocumuluslo
wtideantoniofeci.jpg

13. Clouds Of Vertical Development
• These clouds are clouds that aren’t classified
by any three of the scales
• Such clouds are fog which is a cloud which is
at ground level.
Book
http://outofthefog.net/images/fogjpg014.jpg

14. Fog
• Fog is a low level cloud at ground level
• Fog is created by radiation cooling
• Fog is defined as a cloud with it’s base near
the ground.
Book
http://www.uh.edu/engines/fog9.jpg

15. Cold Cloud Precipitation (Bergeron
process)
• When cold clouds of the upper atmosphere
form precipitation from ice crystal growth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergeron_proces
s
http://www.geo.hunter.cuny.edu/~tbw/wc.not
es/5.cond.precip/precipitation/bergeron.proce
ss.jpg

16. Warm Cloud Precipitation (Collision-
coalescene process)
• In many places in the world it’s too warm for
ice crystals to form therefore rain and snow
can’t develop.
• Instead rain turns into large droplets of water.
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-
kids/0113-collision-coalescence.php
http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/~wintelsw/MET1010L
OL/chapter07/drop_cloud_ccn.gif

17. Rain and Snow
• Rain and Snow are both types of precipitation
• The type of precipitation that hits Earth
depends on the temperature in the lower
atmosphere.
• Snow is due to cold atmospheric weather.
Book
http://www.picturesofwinter.net/snowoncabin
s.jpg

18. Sleet, Glaze, and Hail
• Sleet, Glaze, and Hail are all types of
precpitation.
• The type of precipitation that hits Earth
depends on the temperature in the lower
atmosphere.
• These types are due to cold atmospheric
weather.
Book
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/cae/svrwx/nsslhail3.
jpg