All About Different Types of Clouds

Clouds are made of tiny water droplets or ice crystals. They come in a handful of distinct kinds, they form at different heights, and once you can tell them apart, a glance at the sky tells you something about the weather heading your way.

High-Flying Clouds

These clouds sit at the very top of the sky. They are made of ice crystals rather than water droplets, because it is so cold that far up.

• Cirrus Clouds: These are thin and wispy, like brush strokes in the sky. They often mean the weather is nice, but they can also be an early sign that a storm is on the way.
• Cirrocumulus Clouds: These clouds look like small, puffy white patches. They sometimes appear in rows.
• Cirrostratus Clouds: These clouds are thin and sheet-like, sometimes covering the whole sky. They can throw a halo of light around the sun or moon.

Lower-Level Clouds

These clouds sit closer to the ground, and they are the ones that bring weather with them: rain, drizzle, or snow.

1. Cumulus Clouds: These are the fluffy, cotton-ball clouds you see on a sunny day. They have flat bottoms and puffy tops.
2. Stratus Clouds: These are gray, sheet-like clouds that cover the whole sky. They can sometimes bring light rain or drizzle.
3. Cumulonimbus Clouds: These are the giants, dark and towering, and they are the clouds that bring thunderstorms.

Check yourself

Next time you are outdoors, look up and name what is above you. A sky of thin, wispy cirrus and a sky of dark, towering cumulonimbus are telling you two very different things about the rest of your day.