Cloud types and how they form
9 min read
The families
Heights for mid-latitudes:
Low (base usually below about 6,500 ft): stratus St, stratocumulus Sc.
Medium (prefix alto, base about 6,500–23,000 ft, 2–7 km): altocumulus Ac, altostratus As. Nimbostratus Ns is a medium cloud for WMO, but its base is usually low and it often reaches through the medium and high levels; its thick layer brings continuous rain.
IN THIS LESSON
- How clouds form
- Cumulus base, quickly
- What each one means in flight
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