Book 7, Question 2
Why Are Some Clouds Fluffy and Some Flat?
Clouds come in lots of shapes, and the shape is a clue about the air around them. Fluffy clouds are called cumulus and form where warm air rises in bubbles. Flat, gray blankets of cloud are called stratus and form in calm, layered air.
More fun facts
- Cirrus clouds are high, thin and feathery, and they are made of ice crystals.
- Cirrus clouds often mean a change in the weather is on the way.
- Stratus clouds are low, gray layers that can cover most of the sky.
- Nimbostratus clouds are dark gray layers with rain or snow falling from them.
- Cumulonimbus clouds are huge, with dark bottoms and tall billowing towers.
- Some clouds are named for where they form, like lenticular clouds over mountains.
- Clouds sit lower near the poles and higher in the tropics, because the top of the lowest layer of air is lower near the poles.
Sources: NASA, NASA, UCAR Center for Science Education
Questions kids ask
What are cirrus clouds made of?
Ice crystals. They are high, thin and feathery.
What do cirrus clouds tell us?
They often mean a change in the weather is on the way.