Nimbus
Topic: Water in the Atmosphere: Humidity, Condensation, Clouds and Precipitation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 10 "Water in the Atmosphere"
Meaning
Nimbus means "rain cloud". These clouds are black or dark grey, dense and shapeless. They form at middle levels or very near the ground. They are so thick that sunlight cannot pass through them. Today the word is used mostly in combinations for rain-bearing clouds, such as nimbostratus (a low, steady-rain layer) and cumulonimbus (a towering storm cloud).
Example
In July, during the south-west monsoon, dark nimbus clouds often hang low over Mumbai on the west coast. They block the Sun and bring heavy rain to the city.
Don't confuse with
- Stratus: also a grey, layered cloud, but it is thinner and gives only drizzle. Nimbus is darker and denser and gives real rain.