How to Identify Clouds at Different Altitudes
Clouds are simply water vapor condensed to the point of being visible, but their formation and movement reveal much about the natural world that surrounds us.
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Things You'll Need
- Weather Radios
- SLR Camera
- Binoculars Cases
- Camera Accessories
- Camera Tripod
- Film
- Telescope Camera Adapters
- Telescope Tripods
- Telescopes
- Binoculars
- Binoculars Harnesses
Instructions
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Alto Clouds
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Watch for flat, sheetlike cloud cover at middle altitudes. These are altostratus clouds, usually gray and usually thin enough that the moon or sun can shine through them.
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2
Look for formations of puffy clouds at middle altitudes, often appearing both gray and white. These are altocumulus clouds.
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Stratus Clouds
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3
Know that fog is actually a stratus cloud touching the ground. A flat, sheetlike cloud at low altitude is a simple stratus cloud.
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4
Watch for low formations of puffy, gray-toned clouds. These are stratocumulus clouds. They rarely cover the entire sky.
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5
Grab your foul-weather gear when you see a low, flat, dark-gray cloud with a ragged bottom edge. These are nimbostratus clouds. Precipitation is imminent.
Cirrus Clouds
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6
Look for long, thin wispy streamers high in the sky. These are cirrus clouds.
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7
Remember that when the sky is completely or almost completely covered with thin, flat clouds at extreme altitudes, you are seeing cirrostratus clouds.
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Watch for small, white, puffy clouds at high altitudes, sometimes appearing in rows. These are cirrocumulus clouds.
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Tips & Warnings
There are three basic levels at which the terminology for cloud descriptions change. Look for cirrus clouds above 18,000 feet; alto clouds between 6,500 and 18,000 feet; and stratus clouds at altitudes under 6,500 feet.
