Here are the 10 basic clouds with examples from the Cloud Appreciation Society. ... Fog: A layer of stratus clouds on or near the ground, typically seen overnight then burns off in the morning.

Stratus clouds can mean rain, but it’s usually drizzly and longer in duration. Now you know enough to step outside and start honing your cloud classification and forecasting.

When clouds form thick layers, we add the word “stratus,” or “layer,” to the name. Stratus can occur just above the ground, or a bit higher up – we call it altostratus then.

Stratus clouds form when a large, moist air mass gradually cools as it rises. ... For example, at higher atmospheric levels, you may encounter cirrostratus and cirrocumulus clouds.

For example, altocumulus are clumps of puffy-type clouds found at mid-levels of the atmosphere. Nimbostratus are stratus or stratocumulus clouds that are producing snow or rainfall.

The prefix “alto” (meaning “high”) helps distinguish mid-level clouds from their lower-level counterparts (such as altostratus vs stratus). NWS cloud chart. Click to expand to full-size.

As temperatures rise, clouds like stratus, cirrus and cumulonimbus are changing – becoming higher or less extensive. These changes complicate climate forecasts and are expected to amplify global ...

Because stratus clouds form at such a low altitude (typically below 2,000 ft, but can form as high as 4,000 ft), the droplets within the clouds remain in liquid form. Jennifer Gray is a weather ...