Types of Clouds (With Pictures): A Visual Guide to Clouds Melanie Palen Updated: Dec 26, 2023 2:11 PM EST Read on to learn about types of clouds and what they mean! Magda Ehlers | Pexels | Canva What Are Clouds? Clouds are large groups of tiny water droplets (vapor) or ice crystals that cling to pieces of dust in the atmosphere. Here's a list of some of the most common cloud types you might spot in the sky: High Clouds (16,500-45,000 feet) Cirrus Cirrus clouds are delicate, feathery clouds that are made mostly of ice crystals. Their wispy shape comes from wind currents which twist and spread the ice crystals into strands. Weather prediction: A change is on its way!
Clouds
According to the World Meteorological Organization's International Cloud Atlas, more than 100 types of clouds exist. The many variations, however, can be grouped into one of 10 basic types depending on their general shape and height in the sky. Thus, the 10 types are: Cloud Types Clouds are given different names based on their shape and their height in the sky. Some clouds are puffy like cotton while others are grey and uniform. Some clouds are near the ground, while others are near the top of the troposphere. The diagram on the right shows where different types of clouds are located in the sky. 1.1 Cumulus (Cu) The puffy, mound-shaped clouds that you see on sunny days, cumulus clouds are normally white or light grey. There are many different species of cumulus clouds, but they are mostly comprised of supercooled water droplets rather than ice crystals due to the fact that they exist at low levels of the atmosphere. Let's take a look at the different types of clouds in the sky, broken up into four groups — high clouds, middle clouds, low clouds and vertical clouds — and what they can tell us about.
Overview of Cloud Types What's That Cloud?
Clouds appear puffy and look like cotton balls, popcorn or cauliflower. Stratus - Low clouds, light or dark gray and generally uniform in appearance and covering most of the sky. Fog is a stratus cloud. Stratocumulus - Low clouds with irregular masses of clouds, rolling or puffy in appearance, sometimes with space between the clouds. Height: High. Color: White. Shape: Wispy or feathery. Weather: May mean a warm front is approaching. Wispy clouds located high in the atmosphere are likely cirrus clouds. They are thin and white with lots of blue sky visible. They can occur in fair weather or when a warm front or large storm is approaching. Browse 133 different types of clouds photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. NEXT Browse Getty Images' premium collection of high-quality, authentic Different Types Of Clouds stock photos, royalty-free images, and pictures. Asperitas, Latin for roughness, is the cloud type that has citizen scientists most excited and has been a special victory for the UK-based Cloud Appreciation Society. This photo, first spotted.
Cloud Formations Poster Clouds in The Troposphere Cloud Structures Types of Clouds A1
2,519 Cloud Types Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images - Getty Images Boards Browse Images Creative Images Browse millions of royalty-free images and photos, available in a variety of formats and styles, including exclusive visuals you won't find anywhere else. See all creative images Trending Image Searches Christmas Background The list of cloud types groups all cloud genera as high (cirro-, cirrus), middle (alto-), multi-level (nimbo-, cumulo-, cumulus), and low (strato-, stratus). These groupings are determined by the altitude level or levels in the troposphere at which each of the various cloud types is normally found.
Stratus. Grey-whitish low layer, sometimes with drizzle or snow grains. If Sun/Moon is visible its outline is clear. Can occur in fragments. Figure 10. Pictorial cloud identification guide. Huge cloud tower, sometimes with anvil. Thunderstorm possible. The Four Core Types of Clouds While clouds appear in infinite shapes and sizes, they fall into some basic forms. From his Essay of the Modifications of Clouds (1803), Luke Howard divided clouds into three categories: cirrus, cumulus, and stratus, plus a fourth special type, nimbus. Clouds How Clouds Form The Core Four The Basic Ten Cloud Chart
Climate Cloud types Britannica
Altostratus tends to form before a warm front or preceding nimbostratus clouds. They can also happen with cumulus when a cold front is coming. They don't give heavy rain, but they often signal. Find Cloud types stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day.
