Cumulus cloud

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cumulus-cloud

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the developmental stages?Cumulus humilis, mediocris, congestus, with potential transition to cumulonimbus
2. What are cumulus clouds and why do they look fluffy?Cumulus clouds are white, cotton‑ball‑like clouds that form when warm air rises and cools, making water vapor condense into tiny droplets.
3. How do cumulus clouds grow taller and sometimes become thunderstorms?Warm air rises, cools, and releases heat as droplets form. This extra heat makes the air rise faster, building tall clouds that can turn into thunderstorm clouds called cumulonimbus.

Adiabatic Cooling: Cooling of a gas or air parcel as it expands without exchanging heat with its surroundings.
Condensation Nuclei: Microscopic particles in the atmosphere upon which water vapor condenses to form cloud droplets.
Lifting Condensation Level (LCL): The atmospheric level at which a rising air parcel becomes saturated and cloud formation begins.