What is Altostratus?
A middle cloud type within the B family in the international cloud classification. These clouds consist of water droplets and sometimes ice crystals. In mid-latitudes, the cloud base varies between 15,000 and 20,000 feet. They can range in color from white to gray and bluish. Altostratus clouds can be fibrous or layered and may occasionally form a thick layer that obscures the sun and moon. The halo phenomenon is not observed with this cloud type. It is a good indicator of precipitation or a precursor to a storm. Virga-type clouds fall into this category. They are often formed by variations in low altostratus. They can cause light rain and snowfall. Subtypes of altostratus include opacus, precipitans, and translucidus.
Schedule a Demo Today
A new era is starting with fundamentally new forecasting with unprecedented precision!
Contact UsGlossary
Cloud or rain droplets containing pollutants, such as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, to make them acidic.
The reflectance rate of a surface, indicating the amount of electromagnetic radiation reflected from the surface. It depends...
Jet streams are strong, fast-flowing air currents in the upper levels of the atmosphere. They form when warm air masses meet...
A deviation from the normal or expected value in atmospheric or climatic conditions, often used in meteorology to identify...
A very cold high pressure that originates over the Arctic Ocean.
The names given to the winds blowing from the four cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west - N, E, S, W) on a compass.
A strong wind typically ranging from 34 to 40 knots (39 to 46 miles per hour) and often associated with rough seas and stormy...
A storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder.
Cloud condensation nuclei are tiny particles in the atmosphere, such as dust, salt, or pollutants, that provide surfaces...
Conduction is the transfer of heat or electricity through a material without the material itself moving. This occurs when...