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
A small, intense downdraft that produces damaging winds at the surface, typically lasting a few minutes and often associated...
The belt between 50-70 ° N and S latitudes in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, adjacent to the Polar Region. Although...
A mass of very cold, dry air that mostly originates over the Arctic Ocean.
A term used to identify clouds with a base height below 6,000 feet in the observer's direction. Stratiform clouds consist...
A type of cloud consisting mostly of small particles such as ice particles.
Cloud condensation nuclei are tiny particles in the atmosphere, such as dust, salt, or pollutants, that provide surfaces...
The occurrence of storms resulting from the horizontal advection of cold air at high levels or the horizontal advection of...
An instrument used to measure the speed, force, and sometimes the direction of the wind. It can be cup or pressure tube anemometers....
Particles such as pollen, grass seeds, or dust in the air that cause allergies and are transported by winds.
A scale for estimating wind speed based on observed conditions of the sea or land. It ranges from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane)...