Which cloud type is described as a puffy white cloud with a flat bottom that forms at low or medium elevation?

Which cloud type is described as a puffy white cloud with a flat bottom that forms at low or medium elevation?

• A. Stratus
• B. Cirrus
• C. Nimbostratus
• D. Cumulus

Answer: (D)

Clouds that look puffy and have a flat bottom form at low to middle heights. This cotton-ball appearance comes from warm air rising from the surface (convection); as those rising air parcels expand and cool, moisture condenses into rounded clumps, producing the distinct puffs with a relatively flat base where condensation begins. They’re typically seen during fair weather when the atmosphere isn’t too unstable, but if convection becomes strong they can grow upward into larger storm clouds. Other cloud types described don’t match this look or altitude: stratus form as broad, gray, featureless layers; cirrus are thin, high-altitude wisps; nimbostratus are thick, dark, rain-producing sheets.

Clouds that look puffy and have a flat bottom form at low to middle heights. This cotton-ball appearance comes from warm air rising from the surface (convection); as those rising air parcels expand and cool, moisture condenses into rounded clumps, producing the distinct puffs with a relatively flat base where condensation begins. They’re typically seen during fair weather when the atmosphere isn’t too unstable, but if convection becomes strong they can grow upward into larger storm clouds. Other cloud types described don’t match this look or altitude: stratus form as broad, gray, featureless layers; cirrus are thin, high-altitude wisps; nimbostratus are thick, dark, rain-producing sheets.