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
Condensation is the process by which water vapor in the air cools and changes into liquid water. This process is crucial...
Precipitation in the form of small balls or lumps of ice that form in thunderstorm updrafts and fall to the ground.
A scale for estimating wind speed based on observed conditions of the sea or land. It ranges from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane)...
The upward movement of air caused by a topographic barrier, such as a mountain, which can lead to cloud formation and precipitation.
The names given to the winds blowing from the four cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west - N, E, S, W) on a compass.
Conduction is the transfer of heat or electricity through a material without the material itself moving. This occurs when...
A cloud that develops from Cirrus, completely or partially covering the sky, creating a halo effect, thin, sheet-like, milky...
Weather is the day-to-day meteorological conditions that happen in our atmosphere. Weather can change within minutes, which...
Ball lightning appears during thunderstorms, taking the shape of glowing, electric orbs in the sky. It can appear in a variety...
A drainage wind that flows downhill due to gravity, often associated with cold air descending from elevated regions.