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Genera
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Layer (or sheet) of puffy clouds
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Stratocumulus
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Extremely tall and dense, in the form of a tower |
Cumulonimbus
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Fibrous, delicate filaments in the upper troposphere |
Cirrus
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Blue-grey striated layer of clouds, mid-troposphere. Sun is partially visible through this cloud |
Altostratus
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White-grey sheet of cloud, rounded masses, sometimes partially fibrous or diffuse |
Altocumulus
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Grey cloud layer, made diffuse by continuous precipitation |
Nimbostratus
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Generally grey cloud layer with a uniform base, sometimes bringing drizzle, snow, or snow grains |
Stratus
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Thin layer of small grain-like clouds in the upper troposphere |
Cirrocumulus
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Detached clouds in the form of rising mounds |
Cumulus
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Transparent, whitish cloud veil, capable of producing halo phenomena |
Cirrostratus
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Species
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Unique to cirrus; often shaped like a comma, terminating at the top like a hook |
Uncinus
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A long, horizontal, tube-shaped cloud mass |
Volutus
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Unique type of the cloud above
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Morning Glory
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Upward-protrubing puffy mounds beginning to lose their cumuliform outlines, with no cirriform part visible |
Calvus
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Clouds in the form of irregular shreds, which have a clearly ragged appearance |
Fractus
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Puffy cloud with limited vertical extent, and which appears as flattened |
Humilis
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Upper tropospheric-cloud, dense, which appear greyish when viewed in front of the sun |
Spissatus
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Shape of lenses, almonds, or UFOs
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Lenticularis
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Like a nebulous or ill-defined cloud veil or layer |
Nebulosus
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Small tufts with a cumuliform appearance, the lower part of which is ragged |
Floccus
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Strongly sprouting cumuliform cloud, the upper portion of which resembles cauliflower |
Congestus
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Spreads out in an extensive horizontal layer |
Stratiformis
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Detached clouds or a thin cloud veil, consisting of straight or slightly curved filaments that do not end in hooks or tufts |
Fibratus
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Often in the form of an anvil, with a fibrous cirriform top |
Capillatus
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Cumulus of moderate vertical extent, with sprouting at the top |
Mediocris
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Cumuliform protuberances in the form of turrets |
Castellanus
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Varieties
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Arranged in the form of ribs
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Vertebratus
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Clouds in an extensive layer, sufficiently translucent to reveal the position of the sun or moon |
Translucidus
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A cloud showing a rolling pattern
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Undulates
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Contains circular perforations, arranged like a net or honeycomb |
Lacunosus
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Extensive cloud patch or layer, opaque enough to block out or mask the sun or moon |
Opacus
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Cirrus that are irregularly curved and tangled |
Intortus
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Parallel bands that, owing to perspective, seem to converge at a singular point on the horizon |
Radiatus
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Cloud patches, sheets, or layers, at at least two different levels. Can be partially merged |
Duplicates
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Extensive cloud layer, containing distinct or small spaces between the elements, enough to see the sun or moon |
Perlucidus
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Supplementary features
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TORNADO!!! (and waterspouts)
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Tuba
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Unique type of the cloud above; a horizontal and detached cloud |
Horseshoe vortex
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A dense, horizontal roll, on the lower front part of certain clouds |
Arcus
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Hole-punched cloud, with a wisp typically falling from the central part of the hole |
Cavum
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Precipitation falling from the cloud and reaching the surface |
Praecipitatio
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Precipitation falling from the cloud
that does not reach the surface. Trails of precipitation can be vertical or inclined |
Virga
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A relatively short-lived formation, which is found on the top part of the cloud in a breaking wave shape |
Fluctus
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A localised, persistent, often abrupt lowering of a cloud from the base of said cloud (unique to one genus) |
Murus
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The upper portion of a Cumulonimbus spread out in the shape of an anvil with a smooth, fibrous or striated appearance
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Incus
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Cloud whose etymology is from the Latin for 'breast' or 'udder' |
Mamma
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Extremely rare cloud; chaotic underside with minimal horizontal organisation, rolling, descending into sharp points |
Asperitas
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A horizontal, tail-shaped cloud (not a funnel) at low levels extending from the main precipitation region of a supercell Cumulonimbus |
Cauda
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Accessory clouds
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Cap or hood on the top of a cumuliform cloud, often penetrating it |
Pileus
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An accessory cloud veil of great horizontal extent, close above or attached to the upper part of one or several cumuliform clouds that often pierce it. |
Velum
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Ragged shreds; below another cloud, sometimes attached to it |
Pannus
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Bands of low clouds associated with cumulonimbi, arranged parallel to low-level winds |
Flumen
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Special clouds
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Clouds may develop as a consequence of convection initiated by heat from forest fires, wildfires or volcanic eruptions.
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Flammagenitus
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Developed as a consequence of
human activity |
Homogenitus
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Homomutatus
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Originating from aircraft, disappearing or transforming into another cloud in at least 10 minutes |
Aircraft condensation trails
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Forms within the vicinity of large waterfalls |
Cataractagenitus
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Originates over forests as a result of increased humidity due to evaporation and evapotranspiration from the canopy |
Silvagenitus
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Upper atmospheric clouds
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Clouds found in the mesosphere, composing of ice crystals often condensing onto meteor dust. Seen during twilight most commonly in the summer; bluish or silvery in colour |
Noctilucent clouds
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Type I of the above cloud - tenuous and lack well-defined structure |
Veils
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Type II - originating oft in groups, roughly parallel to each other or interwoven in small angles
Type IIa - Comprised of streaks with
diffuse, blurred edges Type IIb - Have sharply defined edges |
Bands
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Type III - arranged within close space, roughly parallel short streaks. Sometimes gives the appearance of a comb or feather
IIIa: Comprised of short, straight and narrow streaks IIIb: Exhibit a wave-like structure with undulations |
Billows
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Type IV - partial or, rarely, complete rings with dark centres
IVa: Comprised of whirls of small radius of curvature. May appear as small bright crests IVb: Have the form of a simple bend of one or several bands IVc: Have a large-scale ring structure |
Whirls
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Shows very marked irisation; formed roughly at the ozone layer |
Nacreous clouds
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Stratospheric clouds with smaller and less numerous particles than the above cloud, and which exist at temperatures up to 6 °C above the ice point and contain solid hydrates or liquid solution droplets of nitric acid and water. |
Water polar stratospheric clouds
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