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The thin, layered cirrostratus cloud is composed of ice crystals and forms a veil that covers all or part of the sky.

Height of base: 20,000 - 40,000 ft Shape: Layered Latin: cirrus - lock or tuft of hair; stratus - flattened or spread out Precipitation: None What are cirrostratus clouds? Cirrostratus are transparent high clouds, which cover large areas of the sky. They sometimes produce white or coloured rings

The fluffy, cauliflower-shaped cumulus is one of the most common and distinctive types of cloud. All cumulus clouds develop as a result of convection.

Height of base: 1,200 - 6,500 ft Shape: cauliflower of fluffy Latin: cumulus - heap Precipitation: occasional rain or snow showers What are cumulus clouds? Cumulus clouds are detached, individual, cauliflower-shaped clouds usually spotted in fair weather conditions. The tops of these clouds

The newest cloud type, asperitas formations are rare and resemble rippling ocean waves in the sky.

Height of base: 4,000 - 10,000 ft Shape: Undulating waves Latin: aspero - make rough or uneven What is asperitas cloud? Asperitas (formerly referred to as Undulatus Asperitas) is a distinctive, but relatively rare cloud formation that takes the appearance of rippling waves. These wave-like

The representation of clouds in weather and climate prediction.

Clouds redistribute heat and moisture through the atmosphere, as well as producing precipitation at the surface and reflecting solar radiation back out to space.  Their evolution can be very complex due to the interactions between the clouds themselves, radiation and fluid dynamics. Clouds act

In this article we find out more about what banner clouds are and how they form.

A banner cloud is one of a number of different cloud types that are grouped as orographic clouds. This defines them as being caused by the shaped of the land, with orographic (from the Greek óρος meaning 'hill') referring to the relief of land and mountains. When the wind blows against a hill

Nimbostratus clouds are dark, grey, featureless layers of cloud, thick enough to block out the Sun and produce persistent rain.

Height of base: 2,000 - 10,000 ft Shape: Bands or areas of individual cells Latin: nimbus - rainy cloud; stratus - flattened or spread out Precipitation: Continuous rain or snow likely What are nimbostratus clouds? Nimbostratus clouds are dark, grey, featureless layers of cloud, thick enough

Otherwise known as The King of Clouds, cumulonimbus clouds exist through the entire height of the troposphere, usually characterised by their icy, anvil-shaped top.

Height of base: 1,100 - 6,500 ft Shape: fibrous upper edges, anvil top Latin: cumulus - heap; nimbus - rain cloud Precipitation: heavy rain and thunderstorms What are cumulonimbus clouds? Cumulonimbus clouds are menacing looking multi-level clouds, extending high into the sky in towers or plumes

All high clouds are a type of cirrus, a common cloud that can be seen at any time of the year.

Height of base: 20,000 - 40,000 ft Shape: layered, tufty or patchy Latin: cirrus - lock or tuft of hair Precipitation: none What are cirrus clouds? Cirrus clouds are short, detached, hair-like clouds found at high altitudes. These delicate clouds are wispy, with a silky sheen, or look like tufts

When rain falls from a cloud but doesn't reach the ground it can create wispy tails from clouds known as virga.

What are virga? Virga, from the Latin for 'rod' or 'branch' appear as light wisps which are attached to the base of a cloud and are often at their most striking when lit by a red sunset with a light wind extending the tail into a angled curve. How does virga form? Simply put, virga are trails

These lens-shaped orographic wave clouds form when the air is stable and winds blow across hills and mountains from the same or similar direction at different heights through the troposphere.

Height of base: 6,500 - 16,500 ft Shape: Curved layers, like flying saucers Latin: Altocumulus lenticularis = “like a lens” Precipitation: None What are lenticular clouds? These strange, unnatural looking clouds sometimes form downwind of hills or mountains. They are quite unusual in the British