When do stratus clouds occur

Stratus clouds are low-level layers with a fairly uniform grey or white colour. Often the scene of dull, overcast days in its 'nebulosus' form, they can persist for long periods of time. They are the lowest-lying cloud type and sometimes appear at the surface in the form of mist or fog. Stratus clouds form in calm, stable conditions when gentle breezes raise cool, moist air over colder land or ocean surfaces. Stratocumulus clouds bring light precipitation, often a drizzle, and are found at the same elevation as nimbostratus clouds.

They are somewhat fluffy, due to their cumulus nature, but darker than typical cumulus clouds. Generally, stratocumulus clouds do not bring much in terms of weather; they are used to predict dull weather. There are many variations of stratocumulus clouds.

These variations are classified as one of two types: stratocumulus undulatus undulated, or waved or stratocumulus cumuliformis cumulus-shaped.

The types of clouds in the stratocumulus undulatus category are tratocumulus lenticularis lens-shaped, elongated and flat , stratocumulus opacus dark and thick , stratocumulus perlucidus occasionally exhibiting pockets of inconsistency that allow sunlight through , and stratocumulus translucidus sheets of stratocumulus clouds, between which a clear sky can be seen.

Stratocumulus cumuliformis clouds include stratocumulus castellanus towers of clouds billowing from a common base , stratocumulus diurnalis low altitude clouds resulting from spreading of cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds , stratocumulus mammatus from mamma, the Latin word for breast; having rounded clouds hanging underneath the stratus layer , and stratocumulus vesperalis generated by air cooling patterns that occur in the evening.

High stratus clouds are called altostratus. Alto-stratus clouds are also translucent for sunlight. They are formed from great patches of air that are elevated and condensed, due to the cold temperature at higher altitudes. November 1, About the Author: Karen Carr. Related Posts. Why is the sky blue?

Weather science. August 20th, 0 Comments. Where do tornadoes come from? What is snow? Weather — Earth science. What causes the seasons?

Earth science. How do stratocumulus clouds form? Stratocumulus clouds usually form from a layer of stratus cloud breaking up. They are indicators of a change in the weather and are usually present near a warm, cold or occluded front. So, fog a stratus cloud at the ground forms in a nocturnally cooled layer of air next to the ground which is extremely stable , but what about stratiform layered clouds above the ground?

The base of cumulus clouds are generally flat and occurs at the altitude where the moisture in rising air condenses. They result from non-convective rising air and tend to occur along and to the north of warm fronts.