Altostratus clouds, which are middle-level clouds, often form a layer that covers most of the sky. These clouds can produce light rain or snow. Middle-level clouds, which occur at altitudes between 2000 and 6000 meters, are given the prefix alto-.
Cumulus Clouds
Puffy white clouds that look like piles of cotton balls with flat bottoms are cumulus clouds (KYOO myuh lus). The word cumulus comes from the Latin for “heap.” Cumulus clouds are the “fair-weather clouds” that you often see on sunny days. Cumulonimbus clouds are dark, towering clouds that produce heavy precipitation, often together with thunder and lightning. Cumulus clouds and cumulonimbus clouds develop vertically. They form less than 2 kilometers from the ground and grow upward. Cumulonimbus clouds usually have a flat base and a billowing tower rising above. They are sometimes called thunderheads.
Cirrus Clouds
Thin, white, wispy clouds, often with a feathery or veil-like appearance, are cirrus clouds (SEER us). You can see cirrus clouds high in the sky on a clear, sunny day. The prefix cirro- is used to describe high-altitude clouds. Because temperatures at high altitudes are so low, cirrus clouds are mostly ice crystals. Cirrus and cirrostratus clouds generally produce no rain. But such high-altitude clouds often blow into an area just ahead of rain-producing clouds.
What are cirrus clouds made of?
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