Have you ever wondered how meteorologists use clouds to predict the weather? Well, depending on the type of cloud, meteorologists can predict the future! In order to understand how they do this, we will first investigate the types of clouds you can see in the sky. Next, we will see how those types of clouds predict the incoming weather.

Have you ever noticed that clouds can look different from one day to the next. That is because there are different kinds of clouds. Let me tell you about a few. First of all, there are cirrus clouds. They are the highest clouds in the sky. Cirrus clouds are made of tiny ice crystals and are wispy and thin. When you look up at the sky and see the shape of a bunny, you are looking at cumulus clouds. Cumulus clouds are big, puffy, and white. They look like cotton that floats. Another cloud is cumulonimbus clouds. These gray clouds are very tall and span from low level to high level. Next time you go outside, look at the clouds, to see if you can find cirrus, cumulus, and cumulonimbus clouds!

That is all the clouds that help us to predict the weather. Next time you see a storm brewing or clear, sunny skies, you’ll know that cumulonimbus, cumulus, or cirrus clouds had a part in making the weather.