This book breaks down the concept of cloud formation to explain evaporation, water vapor, the four ways air rises, including convection, convergence, and orographic and frontal lifting, the dew point, condensation, and the formation of cloud droplets. Readers will also learn about updrafts, downdrafts, the life cycle of a storm cloud, and cloud names beginning with Luke Howard’s classification system. Other chapters highlight low, middle, high, and vertical clouds, including stratus, stratocumulus, nimbostratus, altostratus, altocumulus, cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus, cumulus, and cumulonimbus clouds, as well as unusual cloud formations such as anvil, mammatus, and lenticular clouds, and contrails. The importance of clouds to the hydrologic cycle and the earth’s temperature is also discussed. Clear, helpful diagrams, full-color photographs, bold glossary words, and an index support this easy-to-read, engaging text.