What does altocumulus clouds look like?
Altocumulus clouds have several patchy white or gray layers, and seem to be made up of many small rows of fluffy ripples. They are lower than cirrus clouds, but still quite high. They are made of liquid water, but they don’t often produce rain.
What type of weather do altocumulus clouds bring?
Altocumulus clouds are mid level clouds that are made of water droplets and appear as gray puffy masses. They usually form in groups. If you see altocumulus clouds on a warm, sticky morning, be prepared to see thunderstorms late in the afternoon. Light mist or drizzle sometimes falls out of these clouds.
What are the attributes of altocumulus clouds?
Altocumulus clouds are generally associated with settled weather and will normally appear white or grey with shading.
- Height of base: 7,000 – 18,000 ft.
- Shape: Bands or areas of individual cells.
- Latin: altum – height; cumulus – heap.
- Precipitation: None on its own.
How does a altocumulus cloud form?
Altocumulus clouds usually form by convection in an unstable layer aloft, which may result from the gradual lifting of air in advance of a cold front. The presence of altocumulus clouds on a warm and humid summer morning is commonly followed by thunderstorms later in the day.
What atmosphere are altocumulus clouds in?
troposphere
Towering altocumulus, known as altocumulus castellanus, frequently signals the development of thunderstorms later in the day, as it shows instability and convection in the middle levels of the troposphere (the lowest layer of the atmosphere), the area where towering cumulus clouds can turn into cumulonimbus.
What does the name altocumulus mean?
Altocumulus. From the Latin altum, which means height, upper air, and cumulus.
How are altocumulus clouds formed?
How is an altocumulus cloud formed?
What level are altocumulus clouds?
about 2,000 to 6,100 meters
Altocumulus generally forms about 2,000 to 6,100 meters (6,600 to 20,000 ft) above ground level, a similar level to altostratus formations, and satellite photography has revealed that the two types of cloud can create formations that can stretch for thousands of square miles.
What is an altocumulus cloud made of?
Altocumulus are made up of a mix of ice and water, giving them a slightly more ethereal appearance than the big and fluffy lower level cumulus.
What are attributes of altocumulus clouds?
Which is the best description of an altocumulus cloud?
Altocumulus cloud is a cloud belong to genus of stratocumuliform physical category characterized by rolls in layers or patches. It is a middle-level cloud, usually form 2 to 7 kilometers.
What does it mean when cumulus clouds turn into cumulonimbus?
Towering altocumulus, known as altocumulus castellanus, frequently signals the development of thunderstorms later in the day, as it shows instability and convection in the middle levels of the troposphere (the lowest layer of the atmosphere), the area where towering cumulus clouds can turn into cumulonimbus.
Where to find a conjoined altocumulus perlucidus cloud?
A sheet of partially conjoined altocumulus perlucidus is sometimes found preceding a weakening warm front, where the altostratus is starting to fragment, resulting in patches of altocumulus perlucidus between the areas of altostratus.
What kind of radiatus is altocumulus stratiformis?
Pattern-based varieties: Radiatus (arranged in parallel bands) is sometimes seen with the stratformis and castellanus species. Altocumulus stratiformis radiatus of any opacity is coded C M 5 if it is increasing in amount. The duplicatus or undulatus varieties are occasionally seen with the stratiformis and lenticularis species.