Water vapor can condense on sea salt, dust, smoke particles, volcanic ash, or nitrous oxide, to make drops one millionth raindrop size {cloud}|. Nitrous oxide forms by lightning. Tiny drops coalesce. When big enough, they drop. Fine raindrops come from low clouds, and big raindrops come from high or thick clouds. Clouds are white if water density is small and are dark if water density is great. Cloud shapes depend on fronts that make them.
Cloud-cover lower side has altitude {ceiling}|. Above ceiling is limited visibility.
Light and dark clouds {mackerel sky, cloud}| indicate rain.
Upper-atmosphere dust and clouds reflect 30% of solar energy {reflectance, atmosphere}. Ozone, dust, and clouds absorb 20%. Ground absorbs 50%.
Dry ice and silver iodide crystals {seeding}| in clouds can cause rain or reduce fog.
Cold fronts can make dark-cloud lines {squall line}|, from which can come tornados or waterspouts.
Warm front first makes cirrus clouds, then cirrostratus clouds, then gray clouds {altostratus cloud}, and then nimbostratus clouds.
Warm front first makes cirrus clouds, then wispy clouds {cirrostratus cloud}, then altostratus clouds, and then nimbostratus clouds.
Clouds {cirrus cloud}| can be white, feathery, and 4 to 8 miles high.
Cold front first makes high and thick clouds {cumulonimbus cloud} and later makes dark, low clouds and small strong storms.
Clouds {cumulus cloud}| can be billowy, deep, fluffy, white, and one mile high.
Warm front first makes cirrus clouds, then cirrostratus clouds, then altostratus clouds, and then low, thick, dark clouds {nimbostratus cloud} with broad light rain.
Clouds {nimbus cloud}| can be gray or dark.
Clouds {stratus cloud}| can be flat, scattered, low or high, and white or gray.
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Date Modified: 2022.0225