A Stratus cloud touching the ground is fog. Stratocumulus clouds are low, puffy and gray. Most form in rows with blue sky visible in between. Rain rarely occurs with Stratocumulus clouds, however, they can turn into Nimbostratus. Nimbostratus clouds are dark gray with a ragged base. Rain or snow is associated with Nimbostratus clouds. Vertically developing clouds are the Cumulus puffy type.
However, as they develop vertically up they may go from small, fair weather clouds to large, boiling, vertically-growing monsters called cumulonimbus. Cumulonimbus are generally known as thunderstorm clouds. High winds will flatten the top of the cloud into an anvil-like shape.
Cumulonimbus are associated with heavy rain, snow, hail, lightning, and tornadoes. The anvil usually points in the direction the storm is moving. As the ceiling lowers you will see types of storm clouds in the following order:. Cirrus Cirrostratus Altostratus Stratus Nimbostratus — storm clouds! Watch for cumulus puffy clouds that start to rapidly develop vertically up to become cumulonimbus thunderstorm clouds. On hot and humid days, these storms occur over water as the radiant heat from the land absorbs moisture from nearby water and rises to produce thunderheads.
This is an example of a cumulus cloud that is growing vertically up. The bottom of the cloud is made of water droplets and the top is made of ice crystals.
Parts of the cloud roll in a circular motion, much like boiling water. To sum it up; flat clouds getting lower or puffy clouds getting higher — keep your eye out for a storm. If you have a barometer on your boat check it every two to three hours. A rapid drop in pressure means a storm is approaching. Help the skipper by maintaining a watch for other boats and floating stuff in the water and by fastening down loose gear, hatches and ports.
Set your VHF radio to your local weather channel and listen out for any storm warnings, put your life jacket on, and keep your bilge pump on standby. You may be in for some heavy weather. I know the importance of being geared up for anything. I do the deep digital dive, researching gear, boats and knowhow and love keeping my readership at the helm of their passions. Categories : Boats , Camping. Easy to understand and remember. Thank you. Your email address will not be published. The air cools as it rises forming water droplets as the air condenses.
The water in the clouds as it moves upwards begins to form tiny ice crystals. The water droplets and ice crystals are caught in the turbulent air rising and falling in the clouds. Click for More Information and to Order. The cooler air moves away from the updrafts and begins to fall toward the Earth because it is cooler and denser forming a circular motion of air with rising and falling currents. The tiny ice crystals in the upper parts of the cloud bump into each other building up positive charges of ions forming an electrical field in the upper parts of the cloud of static electricity.
The ice crystals that fall toward the Earth are stripped of some of their ions creating an electrical field of negative charges near the bottom of the clouds.
When the two fields are large enough a bolt of lightning is generated between the two electrical fields moving them closer together. The thunderstorm clouds continues produce rain and lightning as long as updrafts continue to form beneath the clouds. Cold fronts moving across the land sometimes collide with warm fronts that usually produce thunderstorms. The cold air mass is heavier and denser than the warm air in a warm front.
The cold air pushes its way beneath the warm air forcing it to rapidly rise as the cold air pushes through an area. The air movement produces thunderstorms. The Jet Stream is often associated with severe thunderstorms. The jet stream is a moving current of air near the tropopause. When a strong jet stream occurs it can push a line of thunderstorms miles to miles ahead of the cold front. When a line of thunderstorms are pushed ahead of the cold front by the jet stream it is called a squall line.
Most lightning produced by thunderstorms occurs inside a cloud. The lightning bolt reduces the number of positive and negative charges in the electrical fields in the clouds. When the lightning lights up the sky in a cloud it is called a sheet of lightning. A buildup of positive charges on the ground can cause lightning to form between the lower areas of the thunderhead and the ground. That is why you need to get to a safe place as quickly as possible when a thunderstorm is moving your way.
When the bolt of lightning travels through the air it heats the surrounding air to about 50, degrees F. It can strike trees, rods, and even people causing severe injury and damage. There are several different types of lightning produced by storm clouds. Cloud to ground lightning is the most common and occurs in a zig-zag pattern that hits the ground and often returns upward to the air mass or cloud.
This is called the return stroke of the lightning bolt. Intra cloud lightning occurs within the clouds and does not reach the ground. Sheet lightning will light up the cloud producing bright light inside.
Heat lightning may be produced when the clouds are too far away to hear thunder. It often produces a reddish color similar to sunset due to the heat generated. Spider lightning is described as horizontal lightning often seen on the underside of clouds.
These are a few different types of lighting produced by atmospheric conditions. Severe thunderstorms are described as storms with hail 1 inch or larger with winds over 50 miles per hour. Thunderstorms occur in the spring and summer in climates with warm weather in the afternoon or evening. Rainfall from severe thunderstorms causes flash flooding, brings down trees, powerlines, and destroy homes.
Lightening from severe storms causes many fires around the world. Large hailstones can damage property and kill livestock on farms. These severe thunderstorms occur in the United States and around the world. Severe thunderstorm warnings are issued by the NOAA Storm Prediction Center when weather conditions create a serious threat to property and life.
Damaging winds are a part of severe thunderstorms. When the storm comes, residents should unplug appliances and go to a part of the house that does not have many windows. They should talk about safety procedures in thunderstorms with the kids and family and how they will react. When severe thunderstorm warnings are issued, stop outdoor activities or change the time and date of the event. When walking outside and a storm occurs, stay away from trees, powerlines, fences, towers, and telephone lines.
Try to find a building to go inside if you are walking outdoors in a residential area. When inside the house, turn off the phone, TV, computers, and electrical appliance until it passes. Install lightning rods and keep debris cleared off the property. Take in lawn furniture and tools that can be blown away. Overall learn to practice safety during a severe thunderstorm. Most tornados form from thunderstorm clouds. The clash of warm and cool air creates a destructive column of wind and air rotating in the atmosphere.
Some tornados produce winds up to miles per hour capable of destruction. These storms destroy buildings, uproot trees, and hurl vehicles into the atmosphere. A change in the wind can increase their speed, and the area of rotating air inside the tornado can be 2 to 6 miles in length. What causes thunderstorm clouds to form tornados? First, tornados form when warm moist air meets cool, dry air. When the cold air pushes past the warm, it creates thunderstorms.
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