Cumulus Stage

The sun heats the earth during the day. The heat on the surface warms the air around it. Since warm air is lighter than cool air, it starts to rise. If the air has water in it, then the warm air turns into a cumulus cloud. The cloud will grow until the moist warm air stops rising.

Cumulus Stage

The sun heats the earth's surface during the day. The heat on the surface and warms the air around it. Since warm air is lighter than cool air, it starts to rise (known as an updraft). If the air is moist, then the warm air condenses into a cumulus cloud. The cloud will continue to grow as long as warm air below it continues to rise.

Cumulus Stage

The sun heats the earth's surface during the day. The heat accumulates on the surface and warms the air around it. Since warm air is lighter than cool air, it starts to rise (known as an updraft). If the air is moist, then the warm air condenses into a cumulus cloud. The cloud will continue to grow in height as long as warm air below it continues to rise. The formation of a cumulus cloud takes only a few minutes.

Next Formation Stage
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