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
An instrument that continuously records atmospheric pressure over time. It uses a barometer to measure pressure and creates...
A mass of very cold, dry air that mostly originates over the Arctic Ocean.
Observation of the sky from the observer's location where there are no clouds, and there is no obstruction to visibility....
A continental air mass is a large body of air that forms over land, characterized by dry conditions due to the lack of moisture...
A long, narrow region in the atmosphere that transport water vapor, like a river in the sky.
The process by which a solid changes directly into a gas without first becoming a liquid, such as ice turning into water...
The upward movement of air caused by a topographic barrier, such as a mountain, which can lead to cloud formation and precipitation.
A deviation from the normal or expected value in atmospheric or climatic conditions, often used in meteorology to identify...
A weather front where two air masses meet but neither is strong enough to move the other, often resulting in prolonged periods...
A periodic cooling of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, often leading to altered global...