Class Notes
Topic: 18.3 Clouds
Types & Precipitation
Name: _______________________________________
Period:_______________________________________
Date: _______________________________________
Questions/Main Idea:
Notes:
1. The air temperature must be lowered to the ____________.
(Air is ______________)
2. A solid surface must be available for condensation to occur.
(__________________________)
3. ______________ pressure
What conditions are
necessary for cloud
formation?
How are clouds
classified?
What are the 3 basic
forms?

What are the 3 levels of 
cloud height? How is
cloud height
determined?

4 BASIC FORMS OF CLOUDS
 _____________ – wispy, feathery
 Cumulus – ______________________
 _____________ – layered
 Nimbus - ___________________
The three levels are:
o High (above ___________________)
o Middle (_______________________)
o Low (below ____________________)
A clouds height is determined by the elevation of the
______________ of the cloud.
What are high clouds?
• All high altitude clouds are made of ___________________ due
to the cold air in the upper sky.
• Group consists of
– _____________________
– _____________________
– _____________________
What are middle
clouds?
• Middle clouds are made of ________________ and
________________.
• Group consists of
– _______________
– _______________
What are low clouds?
• Low clouds consist of ____________________.
• Group consists of
– __________________________
– __________________________
– __________________________
– __________________________
What are clouds of
vertical development?
• _______________________________ build up from low
altitudes to elevations over 6000m.
• These clouds are associated with ___________________, hail,
__________________, and heavy rain.
What is fog?
a cloud with its ____________ at or very near the _____________.
How is fog formed?


As the air cools, it becomes ____________ and drains into low
areas such as _______________, where thick fog
accumulations may occur.
When cool air moves over _________________, enough
moisture may evaporate from the water surface to produce
saturation.
What is precipitation?
Any __________ or __________ particle that falls from a _______.
What is collisioncoalescence?
What determines the
type of precipitation
that falls to the Earth’s
surface?
Describe how we get
rain.
Water droplets within a cloud ____________ into each other and
get _____________ until they fall from the cloud.
The type of precipitation that reaching Earth’s surface depends on
the _____________ throughout the falling particle’s ___________.
• Starts as _________ falling from clouds
• ___________ on its way down
• Reaches ground as ____________
– Dry air: rain drop may _____________ before hitting the
ground
Describe how we get
snow.
• ________ falling from clouds
• __________ &______________ depend on how cold it is
• Temperature must be ___________________ during journey
– __________ air: small crispy snowflakes
– __________ air: large wet snowflakes
Describe how we get
sleet.
• Ice falling from clouds
• Layer of ___________________ melts to rain
• Then ______________ again in cold air __________ the ground
Describe how we get
freezing rain.
•
•
•
•
Ice falling from clouds
Layer of warm air melts to rain
The ground is ________________________
Rain hits the ground and freezes _____________________
Describe how we get
hail.




Balls of ice that fall from a ________________________ cloud
Only during a ____________________
Ice gets swept up and down in ________________
They grow larger as water _______________ each time they
rise.
Summary: