"Cumulus" redirects here. For other uses, see Cumulus (disambiguation).
Cumulus
Small cumulus humilis clouds that can have noticeable vertical development and clearly defined edges.
Abbreviation
Cu
Symbol
Genus
Cumulus (heap)
Species
Fractus
Humilis
Mediocris
Congestus
Variety
Radiatuse
Altitude
200–2,000 m (1,000–6,600 ft)
Classification
Family C (Low-level)
Appearance
Low-altitude, fluffy heaps of clouds with cotton-like appearance.
Precipitation
Uncommon rain, snow, or snow pellets
Cumulus clouds are clouds that have flat bases and are often described as puffy, cotton-like, or fluffy in appearance. Their name derives from the Latin cumulus, meaning "heap" or "pile".[1] Cumulus clouds are low-level clouds, generally less than 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in altitude unless they are the more vertical cumulus congestus form. Cumulus clouds may appear by themselves, in lines, or in clusters.
Cumulus clouds are often precursors of other types of clouds, such as cumulonimbus, when influenced by weather factors such as instability, humidity, and temperature gradient. Normally, cumulus clouds produce little or no precipitation, but they can grow into the precipitation-bearing cumulus congestus or cumulonimbus clouds. Cumulus clouds can be formed from water vapour, supercooled water droplets, or ice crystals, depending upon the ambient temperature. They come in many distinct subforms and generally cool the earth by reflecting the incoming solar radiation.
Cumulus clouds are part of the larger category of free-convective cumuliform clouds, which include cumulonimbus clouds. The latter genus-type is sometimes categorized separately as cumulonimbiform due to its more complex structure that often includes a cirriform or anvil top.[2] There are also cumuliform clouds of limited convection that comprise stratocumulus (low-étage), altocumulus (middle-étage) and cirrocumulus (high-étage).[3] These last three genus-types are sometimes classified separately as stratocumuliform.[2]
^Cite error: The named reference CRH-NOAA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abBarrett, E. C.; Grant, C. K. (1976). "The identification of cloud types in LANDSAT MSS images". NASA. Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
^Geerts, B. (April 2000). "Cumuliform Clouds: Some Examples". Resources in Atmospheric Sciences. University of Wyoming College of Atmospheric Sciences. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
Cumulusclouds are clouds that have flat bases and are often described as puffy, cotton-like, or fluffy in appearance. Their name derives from the Latin...
Cumulus humilis are cumuliform clouds with little vertical extent, common in the summer, that are often referred to as "fair weather cumulus". If they...
Cumulus congestus or towering cumulusclouds are a species of cumulus that can be based in the low- to middle-height ranges. They achieve considerable...
Cumulus mediocris is a low to middle level cloud with some vertical extent (Family D1) of the genus cumulus, larger in vertical development than Cumulus...
The list of cloud types groups all genera as high (cirro-, cirrus), middle (alto-), multi-level (nimbo-, cumulo-, cumulus), and low (strato-, stratus)...
of its particles. Cumulus fractus clouds actually look like ragged cumulusclouds. They may originate from dissipated cumulusclouds, appearing in this...
Cumulus castellanus (from Latin castellanus, castle) is an unofficial name of a species of cumuluscloud that is distinctive because it displays multiple...
nimbostratus clouds, either as evaporating precipitation condenses into a cloud or as the nimbostratus cloud itself thins and breaks up. If a cumuluscloud becomes...
(usually a cumulonimbus or towering cumuluscloud) but not reaching the ground or a water surface. A funnel cloud is usually visible as a cone-shaped...
condensation level, producing an anthropogenic cumuluscloud, or Cumulus homogenitus (Cuh). This type of clouds may be also observed over the polluted air...
used as a metaphor for rain clouds, because of the similarity in appearance between a mass of rock and cumulus heap cloud. Over time, the metaphoric usage...
Trade wind cumulus (or trade cumulus) clouds are formed by cooling and moisture absorption of the dry trade winds over the relatively cold sea surface...
Cumulonimbus (from Latin cumulus 'swell', and nimbus 'cloud') is a dense, towering vertical cloud, typically forming from water vapor condensing in the...
which denotes "cloud" or "halo". Downward-growing nimbostratus can have the same vertical extent as most large upward-growing cumulus, but its horizontal...
Altocumulus (from Latin altus 'high', and cumulus 'heaped') is a middle-altitude cloud genus that belongs mainly to the stratocumuliform physical category...
vortex deforms a cumuluscloud. The clouds are relatively short-lived and is the last stage before one dissipates. Horseshoe vortex clouds are a form of...
a flammagenitus cloud. According to the American Meteorological Society’s Glossary of Meteorology, a flammagenitus is "a cumuluscloud formed by a rising...
thermal under the base of cumulusclouds, especially towering cumulus and cumulonimbus. The vertical extent of a cumuluscloud is a good indicator of the...
stratiform cloud. Like stratus clouds, they form at low levels; but like cumulusclouds (and unlike stratus clouds), they form via convection. Unlike cumulus clouds...
CSIRO scientists dropped dry ice into the tops of cumulusclouds. The method worked reliably with clouds that were very cold, producing rain that would not...
indicated by the presence of visible isolated cumulusclouds at the top of the thermal. Cumulusclouds are formed by the rising air in a thermal as it...
cumulus (mediocris or congestus) and cumulonimbus. In 2017, the WMO International Cloud Atlas chose flammagenitus as the formal name of these clouds....
datacenter, cloud computing, and enterprise environments. In May 2020, American semiconductor manufacturer Nvidia announced it was acquiring Cumulus. Post acquisition...
International Cloud Atlas. Vol. I. pp. 27–29. ISBN 92-63-10407-7. Retrieved 26 August 2014. Palmer, Chad (October 16, 2005). "Cumulusclouds". USA Today...
both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumuluscloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind...
Project Cumulus was a 1950s UK government initiative to investigate weather manipulation, in particular through cloud seeding experiments. Known jokingly...
Cumulus Media, Inc., is a broadcasting company of the United States and is the second largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United...
stratiform clouds over a wide area unless the approaching warm airmass is unstable, in which case cumulus congestus or cumulonimbus clouds will usually...
Global Information
