When do stratus clouds form

Stratocumulus cumuliformis clouds include stratocumulus castellanus towers of clouds billowing from a common base , stratocumulus diurnalis low altitude clouds resulting from spreading of cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds , stratocumulus mammatus from mamma, the Latin word for breast; having rounded clouds hanging underneath the stratus layer , and stratocumulus vesperalis generated by air cooling patterns that occur in the evening. High stratus clouds are called altostratus. Alto-stratus clouds are also translucent for sunlight.

They are formed from great patches of air that are elevated and condensed, due to the cold temperature at higher altitudes. Altostratus clouds are composed of ice crystals and, therefore, threaten to deposit layers of ice on airplanes passing through. Altostratus undula-tus clouds are similar to altostratus clouds, but with undulations, or waves, and therefore are often called billow or wave clouds. A type of cloud, called cirrostratus, combines features of cirrus and stratus clouds.

They are a sheet of wispy clouds made of ice crystals and tend to form at a higher altitude than regular stratus clouds. Because of their ice-crystal composition and high altitude, cirrostratus clouds are translucent; that is, sunlight and moonlight can be seen through them. Due to the ice crystals and their light refractive properties, cirrostra-tus clouds often cause a halo effect around the moon or sun when viewed from below.

Clouds can be found in the atmospheric layer called the troposphere. The troposphere is the lowest atmospheric region and is where all weather takes place. At the equator, it reaches up to 11 mi. The next atmospheric layer is the stratosphere, extending to 31 mi. They are the lowest-lying cloud type and sometimes appear at the surface in the form of mist or fog. Stratus clouds form in calm, stable conditions when gentle breezes raise cool, moist air over colder land or ocean surfaces.

These clouds can exist in a variety of thicknesses and are sometimes opaque enough to darken days, allowing for little light to pass through. Stratus is usually accompanied by little to no rainfall but if it is thick enough, it can produce light drizzle.

This drizzle can also fall in the form of light snow if cold enough. That would really help me with my homework. Awesome facts though. Happy to help! If you want to return the favor, please consider putting a link to Quatr.

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Strato-cumulus cloud from NASA. Cite this page: Carr, K. November 1, About the Author: Karen Carr. Related Posts. Why is the sky blue?