Clouds: they are critical to the Earth's balance | Photo: Shutterstock

Clouds play an essential role in the climate system and warn us of what lies ahead. Learn how to identify cloud types.

Clouds provide shade, store water, and distribute heat from the equator to the poles. Their mechanisms are still not entirely known, but their relevance to the earth's balance is unquestionable.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) created an International Cloud Atlas that recognizes ten types of clouds.

Clouds can appear between 6,500 feet (1,981 meters) and 16,500 feet (5,029 meters).

The cloud names result from a combination of Latin prefixes and suffixes. Can you identify these clouds in your skies?

Cumulonimbus (Cb)

Huge cloud tower, sometimes with an anvil shape. Possible thunderstorm.

Cumulonimbus | Illustration: WMO

 

Cumulus (Cu)

Isolated, puffy cloud with sharp outlines.

Cumulus | Illustration: WMO

 

Stratus (St)

Grey-whitish low layer, sometimes with drizzle or snow grains. If the Sun/Moon is visible, its outline is clear. It can occur in fragments.

Stratus | Illustration: WMO

 

Cirrostratus (Cs)

Transparent milky or fibrous veil, it casts a shadow and produces a halo.

Cirrostratus | Illustration: WMO

 

Altostratus (As)

Smooth, extensive layer; casts no shadow, even if the Sun/Moon is recognizable as a blurred dot.

Altostratus | Illustration: WMO

 

Nimbostratus (Ns)

Dark rain cloud or bright snow cloud. Usually continuous rain, snow, or ice pellets.

Nimbostratus | Illustration: WMO

 

Cirrus (Ci)

Hooks, feathers, bands, or patches with silky shimmer.

Cirrus | Illustration: WMO

 

Cirrocumulus (Cc)

Thin, pure white fields of small grains or ripples at a high level.

Cirrocumulus | Illustration: WMO

 

Altocumulus (Ac)

White/gray patches (turreted, lens-shaped, or balls of cotton), sheets, or structured layers with undulations or rolls.

Altocumulus | Illustration: WMO

 

Stratocumulus (Sc)

Grey or whitish fields, rolls, or bundles, with rounded edges at a low level; regularly arranged elements.

Stratocumulus | Illustration: WMO

 

Now, here's where low, middle, and high-level clouds begin to form:

Cloud levels: find out how high they begin to form | Illustration: Met Office

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