If, looking out the window, you see how the sky is overcast with lead clouds, and you cannot understand the reason for what happened, then it's okay. Perhaps you just need to fill in some gaps in knowledge or refresh your memory in order to be aware of where clouds come from in the first place. And even then it will be clear to you whether it is worth fearing them.
What are clouds
No matter how clouds look in the sky, whether they are almost transparent, like a veil, or impenetrable, like a lead cloud, they are all made of water. The fact is that when the air is heated, the moisture on the surface of the earth takes on a gaseous state and rises to the top, where, due to the lower air temperature, it condenses. However, there is one detail necessary for the formation of clouds - it is dust. Even at the beginning of the process of their formation, water molecules stick to its smallest particles, after which drops and ice crystals are formed, which in the future will be rain. Under favorable conditions for cloud growthgain volume, become heavier, sink lower and lower, and eventually their contents fall out as precipitation.
Height of clouds can vary from 100 m from the Earth to 30 km, depending on weather conditions, climate and the stage of their development. But they are formed precisely at a height of up to 14 km, between the upper layers of the troposphere and the Earth's surface. The height at which clouds are only formed and located in the future depends on their type. To finally understand which of them the so-called lead clouds belong to, let's move on to their description.
Cloud classification
When looking at the sky, you can see three types of clouds:
- Cirrus. As a rule, they are white in color, like huge ribbons, curved or straight, stretching across the sky. They are located at an altitude of 6-10 km, their thickness varies from 100 m to 2 km, and the structure is usually crystalline.
- Layered. The name speaks for itself, clouds of this type seem to be superimposed on each other in a neat layer, while often they are of different shades, which makes them even more beautiful. They are located at an altitude of 0.1-0.7 km, have a thickness of 0.2-0.8 km, mainly of a drop structure.
- Cumulus. They resemble large snow-white snowdrifts soaring high in the sky. Usually at an altitude of 800-1500 m, a width of 100 m to 2 km.
You can often observe their combinations, such as cirrostratus, stratocumulus, etc. If your eyes fell on a lead cloud, then you probably already have a stratonimbus or cumulonimbus cloud in front of you. Maybe soonit starts to rain.
The reason for the formation of a lead cloud
Everyone knows that there is a direct relationship between the color of clouds and their ability to rain. If a dark cloud appears on the horizon, then precipitation is likely to fall in the near future, and possibly accompanied by a thunderstorm. But sometimes the sight of lead clouds in the sky can sincerely strike that even an adult will have a question about the reason for their appearance. In fact, they are no different from ordinary clouds. Just suitable conditions arose for their growth, after which, due to the large amount of moisture and density, they absolutely stopped letting in sunlight and seem so awesome. Polluted air also sometimes affects, due to which a large amount of soot, dust enters the composition of the clouds, and they become blacker. And finally, with regard to the necessary conditions for the formation of a lead cloud:
- Instability of rising air mass;
- Presence of warm and cold air (more common in late summer, spring and early autumn).
And all you have to do when it appears is just to protect yourself from being struck by lightning.
