Field record · cloud
Cumulus cloud
Detached clouds with a relatively flat base and rounded, cauliflower-like upper portions are a common visual form.
factscale · lowstructure · heap
How it forms
Cumuliform clouds develop as buoyant air rises, cools and condenses; their vertical growth varies with atmospheric conditions.
What separates it from a neighbor
More vertically developed and detached than stratus; less deep and storm-organized than cumulonimbus.
Representation boundary
Separate lit tops from shaded bases without turning every dark base into a storm claim.
Evidence boundary. This page separates a sourced formation explanation from the editorial “visual character” phrase above. A single image or casual observation may not contain enough context to classify a real phenomenon confidently.
Sources used for this record
WMO International Cloud Atlas — Cloud generainstitutional standard
Ten cloud genera and classification structure.
Open source ↗NOAA NESDIS — Types of Cloudsgovernment education
Cloud appearance, composition and broad weather context.
Open source ↗