Clouds

Types of clouds according to their shapes, colors and altitude.

High clouds (above 6,000 meters)

Cirrus clouds:

White, somewhat transparent, do not have interior shadows or cast a shadow on the ground. They form long, thin filaments, sometimes aligned like tufts of hair. They are formed mostly by ice crystals and usually produce halos with the sun or moon. With few and fine cirrus clouds, the weather will be stable, but it will probably tend to get worse if they begin to acquire volume and density.

Cirrocumulus:

Similar to cirrus clouds but more dense, forming an almost continuous layer with rounded shapes. They also do not have interior shadows and are completely white. They usually anticipate the arrival of a cold front. They can also form halos.

Cirrostratus:

Appears as a white and transparent layer like a veil that covers part of the sky without a clear structure. They usually present elongated striations of a certain width. They form halos. They usually appear before a large increase in cloudiness and worsening weather.

Medium clouds (between 2,000 and 6,000 meters)

Alto cumulus:

They are white and bluish gray. With inner shadows. They are made up of water and ice. They are denser and more compact and have a varied appearance, lenticular, globular, stratiform. They do not produce precipitation, but anticipate the arrival of bad weather due to storms.

AltoStratos:

Forms a translucent gray or bluish sheet with dense clouds mixed with finer areas. They allow the passage of the sun that will appear as a luminous disk. They are usually a harbinger of fine rain and a drop in temperature.

Nimbostratus:

Dark gray in color with more or less opaque areas. They block the sun completely. They give precipitation with a high probability of light or moderate character, both rain and snow.

Low clouds (between 0 and 2,000 meters)

Stratocumulus:

White in color with gray areas of different intensities. Large size and notable vertical development. These types of clouds do not usually cause precipitation.

Strata:

Gray in color and poorly defined, it looks like fog since they are low above the ground and can cause a light drizzle.

Cumulonimbus:

They are clouds of great vertical development, being able to cover from the lowest level to the highest. They are dense and their upper part sometimes extends into a large plume, the lower part being dark in colour. It usually produces showers and electrical storms. It is made up of large water droplets and ice crystals on top.

Cumulus:

Large in size, flattened at the base and with large bumps at the top. White color with abundant leftovers. They tend to be typical in stable and sunny weather and do not present a risk of precipitation although they can grow to form cumulonimbus clouds when there are strong updrafts and high humidity.