Where do you start with clouds? There are so many different types of clouds and they have delighted observers throughout history and continue to do so. From Cirrus nudging the Troposphere down to Stratus cloaking our hilltops there is a huge range of cloud types but it wasn't until the beginning of the 19th Century that a system for classifying types of clouds came into being (courtesy of Luke Howard).
There are two basic types of clouds. The fluffy, blossoming kind are called Cumuliform clouds (latin – cumulus meaning 'heap'). Then the flat, layered type of clouds are known as Stratiform clouds (Latin – stratus meaning 'layer')
These two types of clouds are further categorised according to the height at which they develop.
Above 16,500 feet Prefix cirro- e.g. Cirrus
6,500 to 16,500 feet Prefix alto- e.g. Altostratus
Below 6,500 feet No prefix e.g. Cumulus
Cumulus and stratus cloud types are are combined with alto- and cirro- to create names for high and mid level clouds. So a Cirrostratus is a high level layered cloud and an altostratus is a mid level layer cloud.
Cumulonimbus have a separate category as they can stem from very low to very high levels.
Nimbus simply means rain bearing, so a nimbostratus would be a rain-bearing low level stratiform type of cloud.
Clouds are white because they reflect the light of the sun.
Clouds are made up of tiny water droplets or ice crystals, usually a mixture of both.
Cloud types are usually classified grouped into "low", "middle", and "high" clouds, refering to the altitudes they occur at.
High-level clouds form above 6,000 metres and since the temperatures are so cold at such high elevations, these clouds are primarily composed of ice crystals.
High clouds are found from between 16,500 and 45,000 feet (5,000 to 13,700 meters) and include (from highest to lowest) cirrus, cirrocumulus, and cirrostratus.
Low clouds are found from between ground level and 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) and include (from highest to lowest) stratocumulus, stratus, cumulus, and cumulonimbus.
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Mark Boardman
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