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Cloud Types
Cloud Names
• Names of specific types of clouds
are usually created by combining
the name of the cloud's shape
with the name of the cloud's
height.
Clouds are classified by what vertical level
their bases (or bottoms) form at:
High Clouds:
Middle Clouds:
Low Clouds:
Cloud’s Shape
There are 3 main shapes of clouds:
• Cumulus or fluffy clouds
• Stratus or layered clouds
• Cirrus or thin feathery clouds
Cumulus
Stratus
Cirrus
Cirrus
• The word cirrus comes from a Latin word and means a
tuft or curl of hair. Cirrus clouds are very wispy and
feathery looking. Formed by ice crystals.
• They are the highest of all clouds (30,000 feet or more).
Stratus Clouds
• Stratus clouds are thin, sheet-like clouds.
• They are layered with some rippling, and cover large
portions of the sky. They are frequently gray and
thick.
Cumulus Clouds
• Cumulus clouds are flat-based, billowing clouds with vertical
doming. Often the top of cumulus clouds have a "cauliflowerlike" appearance.
• Cumulus or fluffy clouds form when air is forced up rapidly and
therefore rises higher.
Cloud Type by Altitude
Clouds can also be classified based on their altitude
There are three categories of cloud heights:
High Clouds = Cirro
Middle Clouds = Alto
Low Clouds = Stratus
Cirro
High clouds: 7-18km
made up of ice crystals
Cirrostratus: high, wispy
clouds. They give the sky a
milky white appearance.
Cirrocumulus: delicate clouds
appearing in bands or ripples across the
sky. They are one of the least common
of the cloud types.
Alto
Middle level clouds: 2-7 km
Altostratus: thin, layered clouds that are
blue-gray or whitish in color and often
cover large portions of the sky. They are
thinner if formed at higher altitudes but
are heavier and more dense if closer to
the ground.
Altocumulus: oval or elliptical in shape, and
can have gray undersides. They often have a
"cottonball-like" appearance.
Strato
Low level clouds: 0 - 4 km
Stratus: Dense, uniform dark
gray layers.
Stratocumulus: groups of dense, puffy
clouds that cover the sky in dark heavy
masses, long and gray. The often form in
bands across the sky.
Fog
Clouds at ground level
Radiation fog: forms at night when cold ground cools the air above
it (in valleys)
Advection fog: forms when warm, moist air moves over colder
surface and cools (in coastal areas)
Cloud Type by Rain
• Finally, we can classify them based on the presence of rain
• Nimbus: any cloud that rains
Cumulonimbus: taller, towering versions of
cumulus clouds. Their height can be from
two to five miles. These clouds often form
thunderstorms.
Nimbostratus: low, flat clouds that are often
associated with steady precipitation and occur
in thick, continuous layers and are often dark
gray in color.
Special Clouds
Contrail: short for “condensation trail”
forms when water from air plane
exhaust forms clouds behind the plane
Contrail
Lenticular
Lenticular: or lens-shaped clouds
(lenticularis) type of mid-level
cloud produced by airflow over
terrain.
Frequently mistaken for UFOs
Special Clouds
Lenticular clouds are most common in areas with high winds and tall
mountains.
Scientifically referred to as orographic formations from the Greek
"oros," meaning "mountain."
Lenticular clouds may also appear near elevated plateaus or high
hills and occasionally near tall thunderclouds.
Lenticular Clouds
Special Clouds
Mammatus clouds (meaning
"mammary cloud" or "breast
cloud“) are actually altocumulus,
cirrus, cumulonimbus, or other types
of clouds that have these pouch-like
shapes hanging out of the bottom.