Quick takeaways

• Clouds come in various shapes and forms, from puffy fair-weather cumulus clouds to thin ice clouds like lenticular clouds, each type of cloud has its own unique characteristics and can have different effects on the environment.

• Clouds play a significant role in weather patterns and can be influenced by climate change, as the climate warms, cloud formation patterns can shift resulting in changes in precipitation and storm activity, with the exact impacts of climate change on clouds still not fully understood.

• Understanding cloud formation and its relationship to weather patterns is crucial for meteorologists in predicting and analyzing weather conditions, as different types of clouds indicate specific weather conditions and can affect sunlight, rainfall, and the presence of certain particles can lead to the formation of ice or hail.

Deep dives