How are fractus clouds formed?

When warm rain falls from slightly higher clouds through cooler cloud-free air below, some water evaporates from the raindrops as they fall. But this causes too much humidity in the colder air, forcing some of the water vapor to re-condense back into tiny cloud droplets, making the fractus cloud.

Can stratus clouds produce rain?

Stratus clouds are uniform and flat, producing a gray layer of cloud cover which may be precipitation-free or may cause periods of light precipitation or drizzle.

What weather do fractus clouds bring?

Cumulus fractus in particular form on the leading and trailing edges of summer storms in warm and humid conditions. Observing fractus gives an indication of wind movements under the parent cloud.

Do fractus clouds cause turbulence?

fractus / scud — Form in turbulent humid air near the ground. These scud clouds indicate high humidity (such as due to drizzle falling from higher clouds) and strong winds at low altitude.

What is the meaning of fractus?

fractus in British English (ˈfræktəs) noun. meteorology. a type of cloud formation with a fragmented or shredded appearance.

Which type of fog is likely associated with fractus clouds?

Precipitation fog
Precipitation fog or frontal fog is formed by adding moisture, via the evaporation from warm rain drops falling down through the initially-unsaturated cooler air below cloud base. This same situation creates fractus clouds, which could be reported as fog where the fractus clouds touch the ground or the mountain.

Can a stratus cloud ever become a thunderstorm?

Because they form in conditions unfavorable to vertical development, nimbostratus clouds never produce heavy rains or thunderstorms. Nimbostratus clouds are associated with warm fronts, where warm, moist air gradually overrides colder air at the surface.

Can jets fly in rain?

Flying in Heavy Rain Rain doesn’t usually affect a flight much. Combining with hefty winds causes extra challenges to flight planning. The combo can even cause a change of route or a delay if the conditions are extreme. But generally speaking, airplanes are well-equipped to deal with a bit of the wet stuff!

Which type of fog is likely associated with Fractus clouds?

What are stratus clouds made up of?

Stratus clouds look like featureless gray to white sheets of cloud. They can be composed of water droplets, supercooled water droplets, or ice crystals depending upon the ambient temperature.

What is the difference between nimbostratus and stratus clouds?

Both nimbostratus and stratus clouds can be found at the same height, are both relatively featureless, and are both the same light gray to dark gray color. The biggest differentiator is that nimbostratus clouds contain rain, whereas stratus clouds only contain rain on the rarest of occasions.