Clouds: A Memoir

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Have you ever read a book that has deeply touched you? Clouds is a memoir by Laura Sobiech about the battle her son, Zach, fought with cancer. I’ll say it right here, I don’t think I’ve cried this much reading a book for a long time. It was a beautiful story of a young life lost too soon and a young man living life to the fullest while he can. The impact he had on so many people by remaining positive was very touching. Once you understand how clouds form through surface heating, you’re in a good position to understand how cloud formation through low pressure works, too.

In 1922, Lewis Richardson's book, Weather Prediction by Numerical Process, was demonstrating how to grid the weather data and enter into predictions but Mr. Richardson didn't have the 64,000 people he would have needed to do the computations for him. Now computers can do it. Even so, highly accurate longer term forecasts are not generally possible even if supercomputers are used. It’s believed that these clouds form as a result of a mixture of dust, water vapor, and extremely cold temperatures that all happen to make it into the mesosphere. Altocumulus clouds are generally quite thin and they’re usually composed of both water droplets and ice. For the most part, these clouds form as cirrostratus from higher in the troposphere descends down to a lower altitude. Commonly called nacreous clouds or mother of pearl clouds, these clouds form in the stratosphere from about 6 to 15 miles (10 to 25 km) above the Earth’s surface. These clouds get their common names from their beautiful rainbow colors, which look a lot like the shiny iridescence of mother of pearl.This guidebook will teach you how to identify each type of cloud, what processes produce them, the significance each type has for the weather, and some of the optical phenomena that are produced by certain types of clouds.

That being said, supplementary features and accessory clouds do often signify interesting atmospheric phenomena, such as large downdrafts of air or low humidity in the atmosphere. So, while they do not change the genera, species, or variety of a cloud, they are worth paying attention to if you want to understand the current weather conditions. Angie Menjivar is a writer at A-Z-Animals primarily covering pets, wildlife, and the human spirit. She has 14 years of experience, holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology, and continues her studies into human behavior, working as a copywriter in the mental health space. She resides in North Carolina, where she's fallen in love with thunderstorms and uses them as an excuse to get extra cuddles from her three cats. The 6 Best Books About Clouds That Teach and Inspire FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)Pannus – Ragged-looking accessory clouds that form on the bottom of some clouds during periods of precipitation. This book is rated 4.4 out of five stars. Customers find that it’s an easy way to learn all about clouds and their effects on the weather. One customer says that one of his favorite activities is going out to sit on his balcony with this book to learn about clouds in a really simple and uncluttered way as he explores how the sky changes each day. One customer says that his stargazing hobby had been spoiled because there have been too many clouds for the last six months. Instead of fretting about it, he decided to learn more about them. This book is just what he needed! These clouds are known for their large, arch-shaped formation, which makes them look particularly foreboding ahead of an advancing thunderstorm. For the most part, they form along the leading edge of a gust front ahead of a thunderstorm, but you may also see them associated with other types of convection, such as a cold front or a sea breeze.

Most nimbostratus clouds will form along a frontal boundary, especially among occluded or warm fronts. This is because the steadily rising mass of warm air associated with these fronts provides the lift necessary to create these widespread clouds. Mid-Level Clouds – Mid-level clouds can be found between about 7,000 feet and 23,000 feet (2,000 m to 7,000 m) above the ground. The subjects of this book are the bane of astronomy. They are only ice crystals or water droplets. They have marvelous shapes and lovely forms. They are beautiful and terrifying. Dynamic swirls, fluffs. A show. A science. Never the same. They sport coming attractions. They are the clouds. Humilis – Commonly called fair-weather clouds, humilis clouds have flat bases and cotton candy-like tufts. They are only found in the genus cumulus. Needless to say, if you see a funnel cloud on the horizon, please take shelter. While it’s possible that the funnel cloud will not touch the ground and that it will not form a tornado, funnel clouds on their own are a sign of severe weather. Seek out a sheltered space in a basement or first-floor room that’s far from any windows until the storm passes. 3. Other Cloud FeaturesIn particular, these clouds form as a result of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, which is a much more complex physical concept than we can get into here. However, suffice it to say that if you see billow clouds in the sky, you can fairly accurately extrapolate that the atmosphere must be very windy and turbulent. 2.7 Contrails Stratosphere – Stretching from the top of the troposphere to about 31 miles (50 km) above the ground, the stratosphere is the second atmospheric layer. This layer contains the ozone layer at around 12.5 miles (20 km) above the ground. This is also the location of the upper part of the jet stream and it is the cruising altitude for passenger jets. Oddly enough, temperatures actually get warmer with altitude in the stratosphere.

So, the chances that there will be enough dust and water vapor in the mesosphere at the same time, alongside exceptionally cold temperatures, is very rare. This means that any sighting of a noctilucent cloud is a special moment that’s certain to be a highlight of any cloud spotter’s career. Altocumulus clouds are similar to the cumulus clouds you see in the lower levels of the troposphere, but they are located at a slightly higher altitude. They tend to look like large patches of puffy clouds that can cover wide areas of the sky.

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Technically speaking mammatus clouds are a supplementary feature of clouds rather than their own cloud type. But, we regularly refer to them as a type of cloud, so they’re worth discussing in more detail here.