Why Are Some Clouds Flat and Others Puffy?

Clouds are like big, floating pillows, some are flat and smooth, others are bumpy and puffy.

Clouds form when water vapor turns into tiny droplets or ice crystals in the air.

• Flat clouds look like a layer of cake, they're called stratus clouds. They happen when warm air meets cool air near the ground, and the water vapor slowly changes into droplets that spread out evenly.
• Puffy clouds, like cumulus clouds, are like big cotton candy in the sky. These happen when warm air rises quickly from the ground, taking water vapor with it, this makes lots of droplets form in a fluffy pile.

It's kind of like blowing bubbles: if you blow slowly, your bubble is smooth and flat; if you blow hard and fast, your bubble becomes big and bumpy!

When clouds get really puffy and tall, they can turn into cumulonimbus clouds, these are the ones that bring thunderstorms! Clouds are like big, floating pillows, some are flat and smooth, others are bumpy and puffy.

Clouds form when water vapor turns into tiny droplets or ice crystals in the air.