CLOUDS AND WEATHER PICTURES

Below are some examples of clouds and the weather that can be associated with them.

CUMULUS
CUMULUS
CB
CB
CB
CBMAM
CBMAM

Clouds form in three levels of the Atmosphere, Low, Middle, and High. Low Clouds form from the surface up to 6,500 feet. Above are a couple of examples of Low clouds. Cumulus clouds are the familiar clouds that resemble puffs of cotton and dot the sky on a fair weather day. These clouds under the right conditions have the potential of becoming cumulonimbus or mamatus. These are Thunderstorm and rain producing clouds that under the right conditions they can even develope into Tornados.

ALTOCU
ALTOCU
STRATACU
STRATUS
CIRRUS
CIRROCU
NIMBOSTRATUS

Middle clouds form between 6,500 feet and 20,000 feet. High clouds form above 20,000 feet. Above are some commonly observed Low, Middle and High clouds. Can you tell from looking which is Low or Middle, what about High? Click the answers to judge your potential as a weather observer. [Answers]

TORNADO
TORNADO
TORNADO
DEVELOPING TORNADO
WATERSPOUT
WATERSPOUT
DUSTDEVIL

Above are some examples of very mature thunderstorm cells that have developed into Tornadoes or are about too. There are also a couple examples of Waterspouts and Dustdevils while they are sometimes confused with Tornadoes They are different and normally not as hazardous.

LTG
LTG
LTG
LTG
LTG
Aurora Borealis
Aurora Borealis

Lightning is one of natures most dangerous phenomenons. Lightning is a brilliant flash of light produced by an electrical discharge of about 100 million volts. Basically speaking lightning occures when ther is a difference between Positive and Negative electronsbecome so great that there must be a discharge. The result is Lightning.

Photos courtesy of Mr. Michael Bath and Mrs. Jan Curtis
[Weather Photography]