Cumulus
Cumulus clouds are composed of water droplets that are located in the middle level. These are easily identifiable as puffy clouds that often look like 'floating cotton.' It is a detached, white cloud with a pronounced flat, dark base that grows vertically in a 'cauliflower shape, with the tops of the clouds being very white. These clouds are often found in fair weather, but can also be be associated with scattered showers. |
Cumulonimbus
This cloud type can be made up of water droplets or ice crystals, where it demonstrates an extreme vertical extension of the cumulus that can sometimes develop into an 'anvil'. These clouds are heavy, dense low-level clouds that can extend into high altitudes in plume or mountain shaped peaks. The base if often dark and may only be a few hundreds up from the Earth's surface. This cloud type is associated with extreme weather such as thunderstorms, hail storms, lightening or tornadoes.
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