| Hello, friends! It's Miss Puddle,
again! In the mini lecture, I told you that clouds are very good
friends of mine. You will learn why they are such good friends by
viewing the digital story, created by me, that appears below.
Maybe, this will help you to answer your question, "How do clouds play
a part in forming puddles?" While viewing the digital story, you
may follow along by reading the script that follows the story. |
|
SCRIPT
Hi, kids! Today, I'm going to explain why my friends, the clouds, are very important to me. The warm sun causes water from the ground to rise into the sky in the form of invisible water vapor. When the water vapor reaches the cold temperatures high up in the sky, the vapor condenses into a liquid and attaches to floating dust particles. These particles form clouds. Therefore, all clouds contain moisture. Different types of clouds are formed based on the amount of moisture that clouds hold. Although there are many different kinds of clouds, you will only learn about the common types. Here's a picture of cirrus clouds. They are the most common high-altitude clouds, and they are made up of ice crystals because it is so cold high up in the atmosphere which is the thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth. Cirrus clouds have a wispy, streamer-like appearance, and they are usually a sign of fair to pleasant weather. However, within 12 to 24 hours of spotting cirrus clouds, changes in the weather can occur, such as rain or even snow. This is a picture of stratus clouds. They are gray and fill up the entire sky. Did you ever hear people say, "It's a very gray day?" That's because there are a lot of stratus clouds in the sky. They look like fog that is in the atmosphere or air instead of on the ground, and they produce light mist or drizzle. Therefore, stratus clouds are a sign of light to moderate precipitation. This picture represents cumulus clouds. Cumulus clouds look like cotton in the sky, and people often notice that their shapes look like animals or other figures. Don't you think this cumulus cloud looks a lot like a duck? Cumulus clouds are known as fair-weather clouds. However, when they grow upwards in height, they change into cumulonimbus clouds that produce thunderstorms and other types of severe weather. You might be wondering what cumulonimbus clouds look like. Here is a picture of one. Remember, this is a cumulus cloud that is growing in height and turning into a cumulonimbus cloud. As it grows taller and loses its shape, it will eventually produce severe weather, such as hail, snow, heavy rain, lightning, and even tornadoes. I think you now understand why clouds are good friends of mine. Next time you are out playing with your friends, look up into the sky and try to figure out what types of clouds are forming and what the weather will be like. Remember, my life depends on the clouds! |