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Nimbostratus ( rain, layered) Altitude. 500–5,500 m. (2,000–18,000 ft) Appearance. Dark and featureless layer cloud full of water vapor; responsible for rain and snow. Precipitation. Yes: rain, ice pellets, or snow; sometimes virga. A nimbostratus cloud is a multilevel, amorphous, nearly uniform, and often dark-grey cloud that usually ...
The term stratus describes flat, hazy, featureless clouds at low altitudes varying in color from dark gray to nearly white. [ 2] The word stratus comes from the Latin prefix strato-, meaning "layer". [ 3] Stratus clouds may produce a light drizzle or a small amount of snow. These clouds are essentially above-ground fog formed either through the ...
Multi-level and vertical genus-types not limited to a single altitude level include nimbostratus, cumulonimbus, and some of the larger cumulus species. The list of cloud types groups all genera as high (cirro-, cirrus), middle (alto-), multi-level (nimbo-, cumulo-, cumulus), and low (strato-, stratus). These groupings are determined by the ...
The next set of clouds are the rain-bearing nimbostratus clouds. [1] [19] [38] When cirrus clouds precede a cold front, squall line or multicellular thunderstorm, it is because they are blown off the anvil, and the next clouds to arrive are the cumulonimbus clouds. [38] Kelvin-Helmholtz waves indicate extreme wind shear at high levels. [19]
Cumulonimbus clouds. September 19, 2023: Cumulonimbus clouds rise behind wind turbines in Big Spring, Texas. Towering, dense clouds with a flat, anvil-shaped top. Develops from cumulus clouds and ...
A thickening and lowering of these high clouds into middle-stage altostratus or altocumulus is a good sign the warm front or low has moved closer and precipitation may begin within less than six hours. Once the clouds have thickened to 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) from the earth’s surface, precipitation can begin to fall from heavy nimbostratus ...
Stratocumulus clouds are the main type of cloud that can produce crepuscular rays. Thin stratocumulus clouds are also often the cause of corona effects around the Moon at night. All stratocumulus subtypes are coded C L 5 except when formed from free convective mother clouds (C L 4) or when formed separately from co-existing (C L 8).
Altostratus cloud. Altostratus is a middle-altitude cloud genus made up of water droplets, ice crystals, or a mixture of the two. Altostratus clouds are formed when large masses of warm, moist air rise, causing water vapor to condense. Altostratus clouds are usually gray or blueish featureless sheets, although some variants have wavy or banded ...