Cumulus congestus clouds are thick fluffy clouds. Basically, water vapor starts condensing at a particular altitude, and as it rises further, it tends to drift upwards in the Earth's atmosphere. These factors play a significant role in giving the clouds its fluffy appearance. A congestus cloud has the ability to cover a significant vertical distance, which gives it a gigantic appearance. Cumulus congestus clouds are characteristics of areas of the atmosphere that are undergoing convection. They are often characterized by sharp outlines and great vertical development. Because cumulus congestus is produced by strong updrafts, it is typically taller than it is wide, and don’t reach higher than the lower troposphere.
It is the largest of the four possible species of Cumulus. Congestus can develop from the smaller humilis and mediocris species when the atmospheric conditions are unstable. This means that the way the air temperature changes with latitude tends to encourage the rising column of warm, moist air at the centre of the cloud to keep lifting higher and higher. Such convection makes the cloud swell to dreadful proportions.
Cumulus congestus clouds are also called towering cumulus. The tops of them look like cauliflower and sometimes light rain can fall from them. Congestus clouds are in the last stage of development. This stage of Cumulus is when it is at the point of maturing into a Cumulonimbus cloud. Once the top of the cloud begins to glaciate, its droplets freezing into ice crystals, the crisp edges of it soften and become more blurred. This is the point at which the cloud has officially turned into a Cumulonimbus cloud and thunderstorms with rain, hail, thunder and lightning can occur.
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