Cumulus cloud

A detached cloud with a flat base and rounded, cauliflower-like top, formed as warm air rises. Cumulus clouds range from small fair-weather clouds to towering storm builders.

Atmospheric convection: Vertical movement in a fluid driven by differences in temperature and density. Buoyant air currents carry water vapor upward to form cumulus clouds.
Water vapor: The gaseous phase of water present in the atmosphere. Rising moist air supplies the vapor that condenses into cumulus cloud droplets.
Cumulus humilis: A small, shallow cumulus cloud with little vertical development, often associated with fair weather. Its limited growth is a familiar sign of weak convection and generally settled conditions.
Stratus cloud: A low, uniform cloud layer that often covers much of the sky and may produce drizzle. Unlike detached cumulus, stratus forms broad layers rather than isolated, rounded towers.
Lifting condensation level: The altitude at which rising air becomes saturated and water vapor begins to condense. It often marks the level of a cumulus cloud’s flat base.
Cloud condensation nuclei: Tiny airborne particles on which atmospheric water vapor can condense to form cloud droplets. They provide surfaces for droplets to form within a cumulus cloud.
Cumulus congestus: A strongly developed cumulus cloud with pronounced vertical growth, often producing showers. Its towering shape signals vigorous convection that may precede a thunderstorm.
Stratocumulus cloud: A low cloud layer composed of large rounded masses, often arranged in patches or rolls. Its joined cloud masses can resemble cumulus but usually form a more extensive layer.
Adiabatic cooling: Cooling that occurs when a gas expands without exchanging heat with its surroundings. Rising air expands and cools until its water vapor condenses into cloud droplets.
Dew point: The temperature at which air becomes saturated with water vapor when cooled at constant pressure. The temperature difference between air and its dew point helps determine cloud-base height.

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