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Clouds come in many shapes. Some look like wisps of hair, some are puffy like cotton, and some are tall and stacked high. They form when air becomes full of water vapor, which we call saturated. When the water droplets inside a cloud grow big enough, they fall as rain or snow. By learning the shapes of clouds, you can start to predict the weather yourself.
I am a weather scientist, or meteorologist. I have loved weather since I was a child. I grew up in Minnesota, where big snowstorms and thunderstorms are common. So, I have spent a lot of my life looking at clouds.
All clouds form because air becomes saturated. This means the air holds so much water vapor that it turns into tiny liquid water drops or ice crystals.
Once you know how clouds get their shapes, you can learn to forecast the weather.
Clouds that look like fluffy cotton balls or cauliflower are called cumulus clouds. They are made of tiny water droplets.