As a kid growing up on the wide open, windswept Prairies, I don’t know how many times it was suggested to me that I take an interest in the aerodynamic qualities of tethered quadrilateral flying forms. Actually, I think what they said was “go fly a kite.”
Be that as it may, I took their suggestion on numerous occasions and in the process actually learned a few things, not only about the art of kite flying, but also about all the different types of cloud formations. Watching clouds is a science unto itself. It is also an interesting and pleasurable pastime for a lazy, no-good, idle daydreamers such as myself. Mariners and farmers alike – not to mention ardent anglers – all keep a close watch on the clouds. I know I’ve spent many a pleasant hour just watching clouds go by.
According to Wikipedia, meteorology is “the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere.” It also says that “meteorological phenomena are observable weather events which illuminate and are explained by the science of meteorology” and “those events are bound by the variables that exist in Earth’s atmosphere such as temperature, air pressure, water vapour and the gradients and interactions of each variable and how they change in time.”
Like I said, I just like watching clouds go by.
The scientific classification of cloud forms was the invention of an English scientist by the name of Luke Howard back in 1802. He separated clouds by height (low, middle and high altitude), shape (cumulus and stratus) and by the type of weather they brought with them. Modern day meteorologists name clouds by how high in the sky they form and by their appearance. Most clouds have two parts to their name. The first part has to do with their height and the second part refers to their appearance. Clouds which form at the higher altitudes have the prefix “cirro” and middle altitude clouds the prefix “alto” while low clouds have no prefix.
Cumulus clouds form at low-levels, less than 6,500 feet/2,000 meters, They are billowy formations that tend to be at least as tall as they are wide with clearly defined edges. (Cumulo means heap or pile in Latin.) They are often described as puffy or cotton-like in appearance and are formed from pockets of rising air on warm sunny days. They are also often the precursors of other types of clouds, such as cumulonimbus, when influenced by weather factors such as instability, moisture and temperature. Cumulus clouds tend to produce little or no precipitation, but can grow into the precipitation-bearing cumulonimbus clouds. Cumulonimbus clouds can bring lightning, heavy winds and rain and even hail and tornadoes.
Stratus clouds are characterized by horizontal layering and are most often described as flat, hazy, featureless clouds of low altitude varying in colour from white to a dark grey. Stratus clouds tend to bring drizzle or light snow. The term “cloudy day” usually refers to a sky filled with layers of stratus clouds that effectively obscures the sun.
Cirrus clouds are another form of atmospheric cloud generally characterized by thin, wispy strands. They derive their name from the Latin word cirrus meaning ringlet or curling lock of hair. Cirrus clouds most often arrive in advance of other frontal systems and are an indication that weather conditions are about to deteriorate.
All in all though, I’d still have to say that windy, cumulus cloudy days are still the best for going to fly a kite.
