We learned about the different types of clouds and what they can mean. We learned that stratus clouds are low-lying and can look like a gray blanket covering the sky and blocking the Sun. These clouds can rise to a maximum height of 6500 feet and may signal rain. A stratus cloud that forms near the ground is called fog. Then we learned that cumulus clouds resemble cotton puffs, have flat bases, and can grow very tall and wide. These clouds rise to 20,000 feet and can signal fair or stormy weather. Next we learned that cirrus clouds often form high in the atmosphere where temperatures are cold. They are thin, feathery, and made of ice crystals. They form above 20,000 feet to a height of 42,500 feet and are often a sign that the weather is about to change. We learned about different forms of precipitation such as rain, sleet, hail, and snow. Then we learned that sleet begins as rain or snow and freezes near the ground. Hail forms inside large thunderclouds as wind carries raindrops higher and higher into the colder part of the cloud it freezes more and more water making it grow in size. Rain can drizzle with drops the size of 1/10 of a millimeter in diameter or be as large as 6 mm in diameter during a heavy storm and a rain gauge can measure the amount of rain that falls in an area. Snow crystals become heavy like rain as they grow making them too large for air currents to keep them aloft, so they fall to the ground as snow. Then we completed our cloud chart and performed an experiment. Next we played a game in which we answered questions on weather. This improved our knowledge of the instruments and terms used by meteorologists. Then we played a game on cloud formations.
Assignment: Create a cloud identification chart.