Cumulus Stage
The sun heats the earth's surface during the day.
The heat accumulates on the surface and
warms the air around it. Since warm air
is lighter than cool air, it starts to rise (known as an updraft). If the
air is moist, then the warm air condenses into a cumulus cloud. The
cloud will
continue to grow in height as long as warm air below it continues to
rise. The formation of a cumulus cloud takes only a few minutes.
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