Classification Of Clouds With Types

Classification and types of clouds like cirrus, cirro stratus, cirro cumulu, alto stratus, alto cumulus,strato cumulus, nimbo stratus, cumuls, cumulo nimbus and stratus.

Classification Of Clouds With Types

Cirrus

Cirrus is the highest of all clouds. it has a typical fibrous structure and a delicate silky appearance. If Cirrus clouds are connected with cirrostratus or alto-stratus, they are usually the forerunner of bad weather.

Cirro-stratus

Cirro-stratus is thin, whitish sheet of cloud, covering the whole sky and giving it milky or web-like fibre appearance.

Cirro-cumulu

Cirro-cumulus develops from Cirro-stratus and consists of small white flakes of cloud in the form of globules.

Alto-Stratus

Alto-Stratus is a dense sheet of gray-coloured cloud, open showing a fibrous structure. These are, generally, rain clouds and produce steady and continuous rain.

Alto-cumulus

Strato-cumulus

Strato-cumulus is a cloud layer with large lumpy masses or Dull grey colour with bright intensities. It occurs during rain weather in monsoon.

Nimbo- stratus

Nimbo-stratus is dense, shapeless and ragged layer with causes steady and continuous rain during monsoon.

Cumulus

Cumulus is a very thick cloud having dome shaped upper surface that resembles a cauliflower. Its base is horizontal. Flat and towering cumulus with instability and turbulence developing into cumulo-nimbus are also present.

Cumulo-Nimbus

Cumulo-Nimbus, known as thunder clouds rise like mountain towers. Their base is like a ragged mass of Nimbo stratus while their tops are, generally, surrounded by a false cirrus. Usually, sharp and heavy thunder Storms or thunder showers, sometimes with the gusty winds and squells accompany these clouds. Hail also may occur.

Stratus

Stratus is a uniform layer of Clouds like fog nearest to the surface of earth. This usually occurs in the vicinity of monsoon depressions.


Cloud observation are made under for headings.

1. Amount of cloud : It is the estimation of fractional part of the entire dome of the sky which is obscured by clouds, regardless of type.

2. Clear : Clouds less then 1/10 of the sky.

3. Scattered : Clouds amount to 1to 5/10 of the sky. There is greater or atleast half the area of blue sky visible.

4. Broken : Cloud cover extends over 5/10 of the sky.

Lines joining place of equal cloud cover on the map is known as isoneph. Cloud cover is expressed by Octa (the scale of 0 to 8). A cloud cover of zero means clear sky and 8 means over cast Sky.