TYPES of CLOUDS

Stratocumulus Clouds Low, lumpy layer of clouds. Dark gray to light gray clouds with breaks of clear sky in between. Accompanied by weak precipitation. Are larger than altocumulus clouds.

Nimbostratus Clouds Dark, low-level clouds. Bases lie below 2,000 m. Have light to moderately falling precipitation or ice & snow if temperatures are cold enough. The sun or moon is not visible through the clouds.

Stratus Clouds Uniform gray clouds that cover the entire sky. Look like a layer of fog that never reaches the ground. Light mist and drizzle occasionally accompany these clouds.

Altocumulus Clouds Mid-level clouds (2,000 – 6,000 m) in altitude. Appear to look like smaller, less-rounded cotton balls. Each individual cloud fragment is smaller than the average puffy cumulus cloud. Are usually white or gray. Gray clouds indicate rain. Cumulonimbus clouds begin as altocumulus clouds. Indicator for changing weather conditions.

Cirrocumulus Clouds Long rows of small rounded puffs high in the sky. Called a “mackerel sky” when the clouds cover the sky because they resemble fish scales. Are common in winter and indicate fair, but cold, weather.

Cumulus Clouds Puffy clouds that look like pieces of floating cotton. Base of each cloud is usually flat and may be only 1,000 m above the ground. Grow upward and can develop into cumulonimbus clouds.

Cumulonimbus Clouds Thunderstorm clouds that form if cumulus clouds continue to grow vertically. Dark bases may be no more than 300 m from Earth’s surface. Their tops may extend upward to over 12,000 m. Lightning, thunder, and tornadoes are associated with these clouds.

Altostratus Clouds Mid-level (2,000 – 7,000 m), gray or blue-gray clouds that usually cover the whole sky. Sun or moon can shine through it, but may appear watery or fuzzy. Indicates a storm with continuous rain or snow is on the way.

Cirrus Clouds Thin, wispy clouds that usually form above 5,486 meters. Are thin because they form in the higher levels of the atmosphere where little water vapor is present. Are blown by strong westerly winds and move from west to east across the sky.

Cirrostratus Clouds Sheet-like, high level clouds composed of ice crystals. Can cover the entire sky and be up to several thousand feet thick. Sun or moon can easily be seen through the clouds, but a halo may appear around them.