#Shelf cloud signs of a tornado free#

Also known as sunbeams, crepuscular rays form when the light from the sun is scattered off of particulates or water vapor in the sky. However, one cool feature that you often see with stratocumulus clouds is crepuscular rays. Sometimes, stratocumulus clouds occur at the very start or very end of severe weather, but this isn’t a very reliable rule for weather forecasting. Stratocumulus clouds are common over the ocean, but they rarely produce precipitation other than very light rain or snow. These clouds are puffy and lumpy, like cumulus clouds, but they often form into groups, waves, or lines, which give them a flatter, layered appearance, like what you’d see with a stratus cloud. 1.3 Stratocumulus (Sc)Ī sort of intermediary between stratus and cumulus clouds, stratocumulus clouds are a funky type of low-level cloud. Furthermore, you can sometimes find stratus clouds that are associated with warm fronts that are moving overhead, indicating that a light drizzle is likely to occur. They are often also associated with some anticyclones. This upward motion throughout a wide geographic region gives the clouds a uniform shape, which is why stratus clouds often lack features.Īs far as weather forecasting goes, stratus clouds can sometimes result from a thermal inversion. However, there are some subtypes of stratus clouds, such as the stratus fractus, that form in irregular, broken shapes.Īs a general rule, stratus clouds form as a large parcel of air is lifted upward as a single unit. Stratus clouds usually have minimal features, so there’s not much to describe about them besides their uniform, flat shape.

These clouds tend to be light to dark grey in color and they’re often to blame when the sky is looking grey and dreary. Named after the Latin prefix “strato-,” meaning “layer,” stratus clouds are large, horizontal clouds.

#Shelf cloud signs of a tornado free#

They often form into funky shapes, which make them excellent for cloud spotting during a free afternoon at your campsite. Regardless of whether you use them to predict the weather, cumulus clouds are very fun to look at. While some cumulus clouds, like cumulus humilis, are fair-weather clouds, others, such as the cumulus congestus, can be the precursors to thunderstorms or even tornadoes. That being said, due to the many different subtypes of cumulus clouds, it’s hard to use them to predict the weather. The name “cumulus” actually comes from the Latin word of the same spelling that roughly translates to “heaps.” Indeed, these clouds usually look like lumps of cotton floating in the sky. There are many different species of cumulus clouds, but they are mostly comprised of supercooled water droplets rather than ice crystals due to the fact that they exist at low levels of the atmosphere. The puffy, mound-shaped clouds that you see on sunny days, cumulus clouds are normally white or light grey. First up on our list are our low-level clouds, which are mostly found between the surface of the Earth and 7,000 feet (2,000 m) above the ground. Since there are so many different types of clouds, we’ve organized them here based on how high up you’re likely to find them in the atmosphere. However, without further ado, here are the 10 basic types of clouds. Doing so will help you better understand and remember the different cloud types. We put our list of the various cloud types first in this article because we know that you’re probably eager to learn more about these amazing clouds (we know we would be!).īut, we do highly recommend orienting yourself with some cloud classification basics before you dive into the various cloud types. If you’re brand-new to the world of cloud spotting, we highly recommend reading through our section on how clouds are classified and how they form below before you check out this list of the different types of clouds.

Supplementary Features & Accessory CloudsĬlouds Classification and Formation ⬇ 10 Main Types of Clouds.

Classifying Clouds By Genera, Species & Variety.2.6 Billow Clouds/Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds.