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Nimbostratus clouds are low-level, flat, and layered clouds made of condensed water or ice crystals. They are dark gray in color and can produce light rain or snow.
Nimbostratus clouds are low-level clouds that form between the Earth’s surface and an elevation of 6,500 feet (1,980 m). Like most clouds found in Earth’s atmosphere, nimbostratus clouds are made up of small condensed droplets of water or ice crystals. Clouds are commonly classified into a particular type based on how they form, their location in the sky, their shape and color, and the type of weather associated with them.
Nimbostratus forms when the sun warms the surface of the earth. Air flowing near the earth’s surface absorbs this heat as it rises above the ground. The water that makes up part of the air rises with the rest of the air.
As the air continues to rise, it expands and eventually cools. When air is cooled to a particular temperature, called the dew point, it condenses into water droplets or ice crystals and forms a cloud. If condensation occurs above the freezing point of 32°F (0°C), the cloud will consist of water droplets. If condensation occurs below the freezing point, the cloud will be composed of ice crystals.
In terms of shape, a nimbostratus cloud is shapeless, flat, and layered, and is often described as a blanket of clouds. This hazy shape identifies a nimbostratus cloud as a stratus cloud or layered cloud. Other types of stratiform clouds are altostratus and cirrostratus. These other cloud types form at higher altitudes; however, all three share the characteristics of horizontal layering and a uniform base. Nimbostratus clouds are almost always found in the sky with a layer of cloth clouds underneath them, which look like torn shreds of cloud.
A nimbostratus cloud is dark gray in color. The cause of this color is the presence of moisture in the cloud. The more moisture in the cloud, the darker the cloud will be. If a cloud is very dark, it is likely that it will rain or snow in the near future. The Latin word nimbus actually means rain.
Nimbostratus clouds can produce rain or snow. The type of precipitation produced by this cloud may depend on the temperature at the point in the atmosphere where the cloud forms. It can also depend on the temperatures occurring between the earth’s surface and the cloud itself. The rain or snow produced by this type of cloud is typically light and can occur over a long period of time.
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