Consider the following characteristics of a cloud type :
- 1. They are born through convection.
- 2. Only cloud type that can produce hail, thunder and lightning.
- 3. They are large cauliflower-shaped towers, often ‘anvil tops’.
Identify the type of cloud on the basis of the given characteristics.
Stratocumulus
Cumulonimbus
Cirrocumulus
Nimbostratus
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This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-1 – 2023
1. They are born through convection: Cumulonimbus clouds form from strong vertical updrafts in unstable atmospheric conditions, characteristic of convection.
2. Only cloud type that can produce hail, thunder and lightning: Cumulonimbus clouds are thunderclouds (cumulonimbus means “accumulated rain-bearing”). They are the only type of cloud capable of producing lightning and thunder. They are also the primary source of hail.
3. They are large cauliflower-shaped towers, often ‘anvil tops’: The vigorous convection within a cumulonimbus cloud gives it a towering, cauliflower-like appearance. When the updraft reaches the tropopause (the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere), it spreads out horizontally because of the temperature inversion there, forming a characteristic anvil shape.
– They are characterized by strong vertical development and often have an anvil shape.
– They are the source of lightning, thunder, and hail.
– Cirrocumulus clouds are high-level, thin, patchy clouds composed of ice crystals.
– Nimbostratus clouds are dark, gray, layered clouds that produce continuous rain or snow, but typically lack thunder, lightning, or hail and do not exhibit significant vertical development or an anvil shape.