Tag: Cumulo-form

Cumulonimbus Clouds

Cumulonimbus are massive, convective, rain-producing clouds with substantial vertical extent and storm potential. They form in unstable, moist conditions and were formalised in cloud atlases; they appear frequently in art and storm literature.

Cumulus Clouds

Cumulus are low, puffed, convective clouds formed by surface heating and uplift. They have flat bases and variable tops. The name was coined in the early 19th century and is widely familiar in art, and literature.

Stratocumulus Clouds

Stratocumulus are low, clustered, lumpy cloud layers that bridge the gap between stratus and cumulus. They form via shallow convection and mixing. Their name arose from 19th- and 20th-century cloud taxonomy, and they are familiar in weather forecasts and landscape art.

Altocumulus Clouds

Altocumulus are mid-level, patchy, somewhat convective clouds forming in moist layers with slight instability. They often show patterns or grouping. Their name originated in the 19th-century expansion of cloud classification, though clouds of this sort were long observed in art and literature.

Cirrocumulus Clouds

Cirrocumulus are small, finely textured clouds of ice crystals in a high layer, appearing as ripples or patchwork. They form under weak vertical motion. The term was formalised in 19th-century cloud atlases, and the “mackerel sky” phrase has long circulated in folk weather lore.