Which clouds produce precipitation

Normally, cumulus clouds produce little or no precipitation, but they can grow into the precipitation-bearing congests or cumulonimbus clouds. Cumulus clouds can be formed from water vapour, supercooled water droplets, or ice crystals, depending upon the ambient temperature. Cumulus clouds are large and lumpy. Cumulus clouds are created by strong updrafts of warm, moist air. Most forms of heavy precipitation fall from cumulus clouds. Cirrus form very high in the atmosphere.

They are wispy, being composed entirely of ice crystals falling through the atmosphere. Only at very high altitudes or latitudes do Cirrus produce rain at ground level. Condensation starts and the rising air column becomes a puffy cumulus cloud. If the convection continues strongly, the cloud develops into a dense cumulonimbus cloud.

If updrafts become stronger, those seemingly innocuous cumulus clouds may grow taller into what we call cumulonimbus clouds. These are the awe-inspiring and ominous clouds mainly observed during the summer months and can be indicative of developing thunderstorms, including lightning, hail, heavy rain and even tornadoes.

The strongest thunderstorms can even produce cumulonimbus clouds that tower up to 60, feet! Above: Textbook example of a towering cumulonimbus cloud Courtesy Wikipedia. Personally, stratus clouds are my least-favorite and I'm sure that likely goes for most people. These clouds, which look like a layer of gray blanketing the sky, are generally associated with wet conditions. They typically form when warm air is lifted over cold air, which allows the water vapor to condense rather uniformly, transforming the sky into a gray and dreary scene.

In fact, stratus clouds can last for days and bring cool temperatures, persistent rain, drizzle, or even snow. Above: Layer of stratus clouds Courtesy Wikipedia. Now on to my favorite type of cloud, cirrus clouds! Ever notice those high, thin and wispy clouds that usually make for beautiful sunsets? Yep, those are cirrus. They develop very high up in the atmosphere and are actually made up of tiny ice crystals.

We can see cirrus clouds in a variety of scenarios including outflow from large scale storms, like nor'easters, tropical cyclones and even thunderstorm complexes. They also form out ahead of warm fronts and can be indicative of upcoming precipitation. Above: Cirrus clouds on a beautiful day Courtesy geograph. Now we reach the clouds that are sometimes at the center of controversy, contrails.

Stratus clouds produce steady rains, and cumulus clouds produce intense, stormy precipitation. Mid-level clouds can tip you off to the potential for these precipitation-producing cloud types to develop and may even produce an occasional sprinkle themselves. Cumulonimbus Cumulonimbus can form alone, in clusters, or along cold front squall lines. These clouds are capable of producing lightning and other dangerous severe weather, such as tornadoes and hailstones.

Cumulus clouds are the most common cloud types that are produced by cold fronts. They often grow into cumulonimbus clouds, which produce thunderstorms. Cold fronts can also produce nimbostratus, stratocumulus, and stratus clouds. Altocumulus clouds are full of liquid water but generally do not produce rain.

They are patchy and often appear as ripples or rows.