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 condition in which the stratification of the atmosphere depends on both air temperature and pressure, and where surfaces...
A weather front formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front, lifting the warm air off the ground and resulting in a mix...
The formation of ice crystals on surfaces when the temperature drops below freezing, typically overnight, causing potential...
Condensation is the process by which water vapor in the air cools and changes into liquid water. This process is crucial...
Conduction is the transfer of heat or electricity through a material without the material itself moving. This occurs when...
The term used for semi-stationary high-pressure centers such as the Azores and North Pacific Highs, which occur in the narrow...
Temperature scale, abbreviated as °C, found by accepting the freezing point of water at one atmospheric pressure as zero...
A very cold high pressure that originates over the Arctic Ocean.
Particles such as pollen, grass seeds, or dust in the air that cause allergies and are transported by winds.
A closed low, also known as a cut-off low, is a low-pressure system that is entirely isolated from the main atmospheric circulation...