A boat on the water is a great place to watch clouds. It's also a pleasant way to pass the time when you are bored. It can also save you and your family from being caught in a sudden thunderstorm. A skipper knows to always check the weather forecast before leaving the dock, but sometimes weather changes happen very rapidly. You can "keep a weather eye" by watching clouds and paying attention to changes in the wind and the seas.
When I first started to learn about clouds, I found all the names confusing and hard to remember. So I developed my own system for classifying clouds. (If you have your own system, let us know and we'll put it up here.)
First you need to identify clouds by their shape. There are actually ten different types of clouds, but for now we'll concentrate on two basic shapes. The first type looks like spoonfuls of marshmallow cream or Cool Whip (cool whip = cumulus). These are Cumulus clouds and they are puffy. Cumulus clouds can look like animals or people. The other shape of clouds is pretty flat and straight - your plain old white bread clouds (straight = stratus). Stratus clouds are flat (like bread) and can be layered or thin and wispy.Cumulus means "heap, a pile, an accumulation"
I remember cumulus because they remind me of cool whip.Stratus means "spread out, flatten, cover with a layer"
Flat and straight = stratusNimbus means "rainy cloud". Nimbus clouds can be either cumulus (puffy) or stratus (flat).
That part's pretty easy. The other thing you need to know is the height of the clouds. There are three catagories of heights:Cloud GroupCloud HeightCloud TypesHigh Clouds = CirrusAbove 18,000 feetCirrus
Cirrostratus
CirrocumulusMiddle Clouds = Alto6,500 feet to 18,000 feetAltostratus
AltocumulusLow Clouds = StratusUp to 6,500 feetStratus
Stratocumulus
Nimbostratus
and then there are clouds that can grow from low to high:Clouds with vertical growthCumulus
Cumulonimbus
Names of specific types of clouds are created by combining the name of the cloud's shape with the name of the cloud's height.
Cirros (high) or Cirro can be used with cumulus (heap, puffy) to indicate a cirrocumulus or high, puffy cloud. It can also be used with stratus(flat, layered) as in cirrostratus to indicate a high, flat or layered cloud.
Alto can also be used with cumulus and stratus to indicate altocumulus and altostratus which are middle altitude puffy clouds and middle altitude flat or layered clouds respectively.
Nimbo or nimbus might be used with cumulusor stratus to indicate a cloud formation that is producing rain. These clouds could be eithercumulonimbus which would be a puffy, vertically-rising rain cloud or nimbostratuswhich would be a sheet or flat-looking rain cloud.
Then there's stratusstratus - low (stratus) and flat (stratus) - but since that is redundent, we just call them stratus. (I just made that up.)
High clouds above 18,000 feet are cirrus clouds.Cirrus clouds are the most common of the high clouds. They are composed of ice and consist of long, thin, wispy streamers. Cirrus clouds are usually white and predict fair weather. Sometimes called mares tails, they stream with the wind. By watching the movement of cirrus clouds you can tell from which direction weather is approaching. The appearance of cirrus clouds usually indicates that a change in weather will occur within 24 hours.Cirrostratus are sheetlike, thin clouds that usually cover the entire sky. The sun or moon can shine through Cirrostratus clouds. Cirrostratus clouds usually come 12-24 hours before a rain or snow storm.Cirrocumulus are small, rounded puffs that usually appear in long rows. They are usually white, but sometimes appear gray. Cirrocumulus are usually seen in the winter and indicate fair, but cold, weather. In the tropics, they may indicate an approaching hurricane.
Medium high clouds occupy altitudes of 6,500 feet to 18,000 feet. These clouds are called alto clouds. Alto clouds are used to predict weather changes in 6 to 12 hours.An Altostratus cloud usually covers the whole sky. The cloud looks gray or blue-gray. The sun or moon may shine through an Altostratus cloud, but will appear hazy. An altostratus cloud usually forms ahead of storms with continuous rain or snow.Altocumulus clouds are grayish-white with one part of the cloud darker than the other. Altocumulus clouds usually form in groups. If you see Altocumulus clouds on a warm, sticky morning, be prepared for thunderstorms by late afternoon.
Low clouds, called stratus clouds, are at altitudes up to 6,500 feet. These clouds form a solid sheet or layer of cloud mass.Stratus clouds are uniform gray in color and almost cover the entire sky. Light mist or drizzle is sometimes associated with Stratus clouds. A Stratus cloud touching the ground is fog.Stratocumulus clouds are low, puffy and gray. Most form in rows with blue sky visible in between. Rain rarely occurs with Stratocumulus clouds, however, they can turn into Nimbostratus.Nimbostratus clouds are dark gray with a ragged base. Rain or snow is associated with Nimbostratus clouds.
Clouds with vertical growthVertically developing clouds are the Cumulus(puffy) type. These small, lumpy clouds are low "fair weather" clouds. However, as they develop vertically (up) they may go from small, fair weather clouds to large, boiling, vertically-growing monsters called cumulonimbus.Cumulonimbusare generally known as thunderstorm clouds. High winds will flatten the top of the cloud into an anvil-like shape. Cumulonimbus are associated with heavy rain, snow, hail, lightning, and tornadoes. The anvil usually points in the direction the storm is moving.
If you still can't remember all of the cloud names and formations, you can always watch the clouds for two things that indicate a high probability of a storm:
If you see this happening, calmly tell the skipper "I believe we should head back now because I have observed increasingly lower cloud formations from cirrostratus to altostratus to stratus - and you know what THAT means!" (Right!)
The cloud may be described as "boiling" but not because it's hot. Parts of the cloud roll in a circular motion, much like boiling water.
A thunderstorm could develop very quickly.
To sum it up; flat clouds getting lower or puffy clouds getting higher - keep your eye out for a storm.
Other things to look for that indicate an approaching weather change:
IF A STORM IS NEAR… The Most Important Thing for you to do is PUT ON YOUR LIFE JACKET. Stay low in the boat so you don't become a lightning rod! Help the skipper by maintaining a watch for other boats and floating stuff in the water and by fastening down loose gear, hatches and ports.
The prefix for most low clouds is stratus or strato
Low clouds can also be referred to as "scud"
Stratus is the cloud in flat layers
stratus, nimbostratus
Stratus cloud
they are called a fog
It is Stratus
Nimbus
I
Layered or stratified clouds are stratus clouds. These types of clouds are low-lying gray clouds that sit under 6,000 feet.
They are considered low level clouds. Same as Cumulus, funnel, and shelf clouds.
The clouds that are puffy masses formed by vertically rising air are commonly known as thunderheads. These clouds, with the scientific name of cumulonimbus, may produce severe weather such as lightning, hail, and even tornadoes.
cirrus
You probably mean Cirrus clouds, which are clouds made of ice crystals. There're several variations, including Cirrostratus and Cirrocumulus, but the clouds with the most prominent "wisps" or "curles" are Cirrus.
When the clouds are hanging really really low, there will be poor visibility especially if you are flying an aircraft.
The lowest clouds are called fog. The classification of low clouds is stratiform.
snow clouds
Stratus Clouds
mistFoganother name for it is fogFog.Fogvery low clouds are called stratus clouds ;PFogfogits called fog...mist, fogFOG
meteology
Low sheet-like clouds are called stratus clouds. They are typically gray or white in color and appear as a uniform layer covering a large portion of the sky. Stratus clouds often bring steady, light precipitation such as drizzle or light rain.
They are called Hole Punch Clouds and are "man-made". There are many theories about air crafts flying through clouds to form these types of clouds. This article explains it better: http://www.source.ly/10wkC
Some stratus clouds can definitely produce rain. Low, thick clouds called nimbostratus clouds in particular release rain, and they release the majority of the world's precipitation.
when water moves from clouds (high ground) to the low ground it is called rain also known as precipitation.
Flying pigs?
The top side of the clouds - and the shadow of your plane.