Clouds

Stratus

Layer

Cumulus

Heap, puffy

Cirrus

Curl of hair, wispy

All cirrus type clouds are…

high

Alto

Middle

Nimbus

Rain

High cloud families

Above 20,000 ft, made of ice, white (thin)

Middle cloud families

6500-20,000 ft, water and ice, white or gray

Low cloud families

below 6500ft, water (snow in winter), usually gray

Vertical cloud families

Start low, but can go high, water to ice, gray to white

3 types of high clouds

Cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus

Cirrus

horse tails, wispy, very common

Cirrocumulus

Small rounded puffs, mackerel clouds, cover a small part in the sky

Cirrostratus

thin, sheetlike, hard to see, produce halos and sundogs

Middle cloud types

altostratus, altocumulus

Altostratus

gray sheet, formless, sun is visible as a disk, precipitation follows these clouds

Altocumulus

Gray or white puffy masses in waves, much larger than Cirrocumulus, cover sky, helps storms form

Low clouds

stratocumulus, stratus, nimbostratus

stratocumulus

low, lumpy clouds, distinct rows or patches (w/ blue sky), much larger elements than altocumulus

stratus

can’t see sun, uniform white or gray cloud, may generate drizzle, fog (stratus cloud at the ground)

Nimbostratus

gray, hard to find the base, steady rain or snow, dark, can’t see sun, can occur at mid levels or have vertical development

Clouds with vertical development types

Cumulonimbus, cumulus, cumulus humilis, Congestus, fractus

Cumulonimbus

very tall, anvil top, thunder, lightening, heavy rain

Cumulus

Puffy, white like cotton balls, sharp outlines, flat base, often surrounded by blue sky

Cumulus Humilis

Slight growth, fair weather clouds

Congestus

Moderate growth, may produce showers or grow into Cumulonimbus

Fractus

Ragged edges, small

Lenticular

UFO, a lens, or stack of pancakes - altocumulus

Undulatus Asperatus

Low, wavy base, new cloud type

Notilucent and Nacreous

Like thin cirrus, form in mesosphere/stratosphere, high latitudes only, sun below horizon

Contrail

Narrow cirrus clouds, caused by humans

Mammatus

Forms in sinking air, associated with strong t-storms, butts

wall

surrounds mesocyclone, associated with tornadic storms

Funnel cloud

associated with tornadic storms