Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
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 altitude level or levels in the troposphere at which each of the various cloud types is normally found.
A cloud base (or the base of the cloud) is the lowest altitude of the visible portion of a cloud. It is traditionally expressed either in metres or feet above mean sea level or above a planetary surface, or as the pressure level corresponding to this altitude in hectopascals (hPa, equivalent to the millibar).
Striking cloud colorations can be seen at any altitude, with the color of a cloud usually being the same as the incident light. [117] During daytime when the sun is relatively high in the sky, tropospheric clouds generally appear bright white on top with varying shades of gray underneath.
The cloud height, more commonly known as cloud thickness or depth, is the distance between the cloud base and the cloud top. [1] It is traditionally expressed either in metres or as a pressure difference in hectopascal (hPa, equivalent to millibar ).
The average cirrus cloud altitude increases as latitude decreases, but the altitude is always capped by the tropopause. [19] These conditions commonly occur at the leading edge of a warm front. [20] Because absolute humidity is low at such high altitudes, this genus tends to be fairly transparent. [21]
The cloud top (or the top of the cloud) is the highest altitude of the visible portion of a cloud. It is traditionally expressed either in metres above the Earth (or planetary) surface, or as the corresponding pressure level in hectopascal (hPa, equivalent to the traditional but now obsolete millibar ).
Cirrostratus / ˌ s ɪr oʊ ˈ s t r ɑː t ə s / is a high-altitude, very thin, generally uniform stratiform genus-type of cloud. It is made out of ice-crystals, which are pieces of frozen water. It is difficult to detect and it can make halos. These are made when the cloud takes the form of thin cirrostratus nebulosus. [1]
Cirrocumulus is one of the three main genus types of high-altitude tropospheric clouds, the other two being cirrus and cirrostratus. [3] They usually occur at an altitude of 5 to 12 km (16,000 to 39,000 ft), however they can occur as low as 10,000 ft (3.0 km) in the arctic and weather reporting standards such as the Canadian MANOBS suggests heights of 29,000 ft (8.8 km) in summer and 26,000 ft ...