Cumulonimbus clouds like this one are one of the kinds of clouds with vertical growth. Notice how the top of the cloud is shaped like an anvil.
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Courtesy of UCAR Digital Image Library

Clouds with Vertical Growth

Clouds with vertical growth include cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds. These clouds grow high up into the atmosphere rather than spreading across the sky. They span all levels of the troposphere and can even rise up into the stratosphere.

Clouds with vertical growth develop by warm air rising from the surface. Cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds provide the some of the most interesting and severe weather on Earth.

Last modified May 25, 2010 by Becca Hatheway.

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