What clouds are there

His research served as the starting point for the ten basic types of clouds we observe. From the World Meteorological Organization's WMO International Cloud Atlas , the official worldwide standard for clouds, the following are definitions of the ten basic cloud types.

Divided by their height the ten types of clouds are They are typically thin and white in appearance, but can appear in a magnificent array of colors when the sun is low on the horizon. Detached clouds in the form of white, delicate filaments, mostly white patches or narrow bands. Cirrus clouds are always composed of ice crystals, and their transparent character depends upon the degree of separation of the crystals.

As a rule, when these clouds cross the sun's disk they hardly diminish its brightness. When they are exceptionally thick they may veil its light and obliterate its contour.

Before sunrise and after sunset, cirrus is often colored bright yellow or red. These clouds are lit up long before other clouds and fade out much later; some time after sunset they become gray. At all hours of the day Cirrus near the horizon is often of a yellowish color; this is due to distance and to the great thickness of air traversed by the rays of light.

Thin, white patch, sheet, or layered of clouds without shading. They are composed of very small elements in the form of more or less regularly arranged grains or ripples. Most of these elements have an apparent width of less than one degree approximately width of the little finger - at arm's length.

In general, Cirrocumulus represents a degraded state of cirrus and cirrostratus, both of which may change into it and is an uncommon cloud. There will be a connection with cirrus or cirrostratus and will show some characteristics of ice crystal clouds.

These clouds often form in front of either a warm or occluded front, which could indicate that rain is on the horizon. One cool thing to remember with altostratus, though, is that these clouds often produce optical effects.

Some of the more common optical effects that you might see with altostratus include cloud iridescence and coronas , so keep your eyes peeled if these clouds are in the sky. Once we move into the highest level of the troposphere, there are three main types of clouds that you ought to look out for.

Due to their high altitude, these cloud types are almost always composed of ice crystals. Known for their characteristic wispy formations, cirrus are gorgeous clouds that form at the highest altitudes in the troposphere. These clouds are relatively simple to identify because they look like strands of thin, white hair.

They may also turn bright pink or orange at sunrise and sunset. Cirrus normally form as a result of the lifting of a dry air parcel. Since this air is very dry and since the air is very cold in the upper troposphere, the little moisture that remains in the air parcel transitions straight from water vapor to ice crystals in a process called deposition.

Most cirrus form ahead of a warm front, so they often indicate that changing weather is en route to your location. Technically speaking, cirrocumulus clouds contain dozens or hundreds of miniature cloud puffs that are known as cloudlets.

So, you may hear some people refer to these clouds as a mackerel sky. They form in a number of ways, most notably when turbulent eddies within the upper atmosphere break up a layer of cirrus clouds. Cirrostratus clouds are very thin, layered clouds that are found in the upper part of the troposphere. These clouds often look like a translucent veil that covers much of the sky.

In fact, they can cover thousands of miles of the sky in any direction, creating a slight amount of overcast on an otherwise sunny day. Cirrostratus form as a large parcel of air rises very slowly and uniformly into the upper atmosphere.

These clouds can sometimes indicate that a warm front is on the horizon, so it may be best to watch out for some precipitation in the coming days if you see these clouds in the sky. Indeed, the cumulonimbus cloud is one of the few cloud types that has substantial vertical development. This means that the cumulonimbus can grow so tall that it exists throughout a substantial portion of the troposphere.

These clouds form throughout periods of sustained convection in the atmosphere. When the atmosphere is primed with warm, moist air, strong updrafts can cause cumulonimbus clouds to develop from a small cumulus into a towering monster of a cloud. Cumulonimbus clouds can be tens of thousands of feet tall as they can have cloud bases as low as about 1, feet m.

Sometimes, these cumulonimbus clouds will grow to be so tall that their strong updrafts actually punch through into the stratosphere creating something called an overshooting top. One of the characteristic features of a mature cumulonimbus cloud is an anvil top.

Aptly named, anvil tops are long, flat anvil-like protuberances that extend out from the upper portion of the cloud along the tropopause, which is the transition zone between the troposphere and the stratosphere. The problem with cumulonimbus clouds is that they can bring severe weather. Damaging straight-line winds, large hail, lightning, and tornadoes are all possible with these clouds. So, if you see one on the horizon find some shelter to protect you as you ride out the storm.

These include:. Also called polar mesospheric clouds, these clouds are comprised solely of tiny water crystals. One theory is that the dust comes from volcanic eruptions or potentially from meteors, but more research is needed to confirm this suspicion.

So, the chances that there will be enough dust and water vapor in the mesosphere at the same time, alongside exceptionally cold temperatures, is very rare. Do keep in mind, though, that noctilucent clouds are usually either colorless or very pale blue, which can make identification tricky. These clouds get their common names from their beautiful rainbow colors, which look a lot like the shiny iridescence of mother of pearl.

As with noctilucent clouds, polar stratospheric clouds form when small amounts of moisture and dust make their way into the stratosphere on very cold nights in the polar regions. They are considered to be quite rare, though, and you are more likely to see them in the Antarctic than in the Arctic. It turns out that the formation of these clouds helps encourage the destruction of ozone in the stratosphere by interacting with nitrogen and chlorine atoms in the atmosphere.

To make matters worse, scientists have also realized that polar stratospheric clouds are becoming more common each year, which suggests that the ozone hole might grow in the near future. Many have unique shapes or odd formation patterns that make them difficult to categorize elsewhere.

Technically speaking mammatus clouds are a supplementary feature of clouds rather than their own cloud type. They form as a result of sinking air, which makes them somewhat unique in the world of clouds. Indeed, while most clouds form as air rises, mammatus are one of the few that form as air sinks toward the ground. If you do see these clouds, though, be warned—severe weather is probably on its way. So, take cover if you see mammatus on the horizon as heavy rain, hail, strong winds, and even tornadoes may be heading toward your location.

One of the most recognizable types of clouds, lenticular clouds lenticularis are lentil or almond-shaped clouds that form in the lower to middle parts of the troposphere. These clouds often resemble flying saucers and they are technically a variant of either an altocumulus, stratocumulus, or cirrocumulus cloud.

Lenticular clouds form as wind blows over a large object, such as a mountain. As a result, some people believe that reported UFO sightings may actually be misidentified lenticular clouds. Similar to roll clouds, arcus clouds are a type of accessory cloud that forms at the front of a cumulonimbus. These clouds are known for their large, arch-shaped formation, which makes them look particularly foreboding ahead of an advancing thunderstorm. For the most part, they form along the leading edge of a gust front ahead of a thunderstorm, but you may also see them associated with other types of convection, such as a cold front or a sea breeze.

A type of arcus cloud, roll clouds are generally associated with the gust front of a thunderstorm. People often think rain is imminent when they see these clouds. All of the above represents a broad classification as each type of cloud can be further grouped by species and varieties. The varieties are grouped and named based upon transparency and the arrangement of cloud elements, like so:.

For years, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, who is the founder of The Cloud Appreciation Society , has been on a mission to convince the world that a new category of cloud deserves recognition.

He called it Undulatus asperatus, an odd cloud formation with a distinct undulating and rolling motion. Varying levels of illuminations and thicknesses of cloud can lead to dramatic visual effects. Basically, this type of cloud looks as if it came straight from hell. In March , this very rare cloud formation was officially recognized as a distinct cloud by the International Cloud Atlas, marking the first cloud formation added since cirrus intortus in Its name was changed into Asperitas.

Home Other Feature Post. The types of clouds: everything you need to know Clouds come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some look cute and fluffy, others appear menacing and apocalyptic. January 28, Reading Time: 12 mins read. Get more science news like this Tags: Cloud water. Share Tweet Share. Tibi Puiu. Altocumulus are often spotted on warm and humid mornings, especially during summer. They can signal thunderstorms to come later in the day. You may also see them out ahead of cold fronts , in which case they signal the onset of cooler temperatures.

Nimbostratus clouds cover the sky in a dark gray layer. They can extend from the low and middle layers of the atmosphere and are thick enough to blot out the sun.

Nimbostratus are the quintessential rain cloud. You'll see them whenever steady rain or snow is falling or is forecast to fall over a widespread area. Altostratus appear as gray or bluish-gray sheets of cloud that partially or totally cover the sky at mid-levels.

Even though they cover the sky, you can typically still see the sun as a dimly lit disk behind them, but not enough light shines through to cast shadows on the ground. Altostratus tend to form ahead of a warm or occluded front.

They can also occur together with cumulus at a cold front. Like their name suggests which is Latin for "curl of hair" , cirrus are thin, white, wispy strands of clouds that streak across the sky. Because cirrus clouds appear above 20, feet 6, m —an altitude where low temperatures and low water vapor exist—they are made up of tiny ice crystals rather than water droplets.

Cirrus typically occur in fair weather. They can also form out ahead of warm fronts and large-scale storms like nor'easters and tropical cyclones, so seeing them can also indicate storms may be coming. Cirrocumulus clouds are small, white patches of clouds often arranged in rows that live at high altitudes and are made of ice crystals. Called "cloudlets," the individual cloud mounds of cirrocumulus are much smaller than that of altocumulus and stratocumulus and often look like grains.

Cirrocumulus clouds are rare and relatively short-lived, but you'll see them in winter or when it's cold but fair. Cirrostratus clouds are transparent, whitish clouds that veil or cover nearly the entire sky.