What does the word cirrocumulus cloud mean?
Definition of cirrocumulus : a high-altitude cloud form consisting of small white rounded masses usually in regular groupings — see cloud illustration.
What is the Latin name for clouds?
Nimbus: The Latin word, nimbus, means ‘rainstorm’ or ‘cloud’.
What do the Latin roots of the names of clouds mean?
Genera
| Cirrus | From the Latin cirrus, which means a lock of hair, a tuft of horsehair, a bird’s tuft |
|---|---|
| Cumulus | From the Latin cumulus, which means an accumulation, a heap, a pile |
| Cumulonimbus | From the Latin cumulus and nimbus |
What is another name for cirrocumulus clouds?
Properly, the term cirrocumulus refers to each cloud, but is typically also used to refer to an entire patch of cirrocumulus….
| Cirrocumulus cloud | |
|---|---|
| Genus | Cirro- (curl) -cumulus (heaped) |
| Species | Castellanus Flocus Lenticularis Stratiformis |
| Variety | Lacunosus Undulatus |
| Altitude | 5,000–15,000 m (16,000–49,000 ft) |
What are 3 facts about cirrocumulus clouds?
Cirrocumulus clouds often appear like fish scales in the sky. The term ‘mackerel sky’ is a derivation from the look that these clouds impart onto the sky. Cirrocumulus clouds are disjointed and wispy, which is why they allow the sun’s light to pass through. Cirrocumulus clouds often indicate warm weather conditions.
What does cumulonimbus mean in science?
Definition of cumulonimbus : cumulus cloud having a low base and often spread out in the shape of an anvil extending to great heights — see cloud illustration.
What is stratus Latin for?
More specifically, the term stratus is used to describe flat, hazy, featureless clouds at low altitudes varying in color from dark gray to nearly white. The word stratus comes from the Latin prefix strato-, meaning “layer”. Stratus clouds may produce a light drizzle or a small amount of snow.
What does cumulonimbus mean in Latin?
Cumulonimbus (from Latin cumulus, “heaped” and nimbus, “rainstorm”) is a dense, towering vertical cloud, forming from water vapor carried by powerful upward air currents. If observed during a storm, these clouds may be referred to as thunderheads.
What is the root word for cumulus cloud?
cumulus (n.) 1650s, “a heap,” from Latin cumulus “a heap, pile, mass, surplus,” from PIE *ku-m-olo-, suffixed shortened form of root *keue- “to swell.” Meteorological use for “rounded mass of clouds, snowy white at the top with a darker, horizontal base” is attested by 1803.
What is a cirrocumulus cloud made of?
ice crystals
Cirrocumulus clouds are made of two things: ice crystals and supercooled water. Ice crystals are frozen water droplets. Supercooled water is actually below the temperature where water would normally freeze, but it got stuck during the freezing process and never turned into ice.
Where are cirrocumulus clouds found?
the troposphere
Cirrocumulus clouds are thin cloud patches found high in the troposphere and are the only cloud found here that has cloud heap characteristics. Because cirrocumulus clouds are so high in altitude, the cloud heaps take on what can be described as a ‘grain of rice’ appearance.
What weather does stratocumulus clouds bring?
Stratocumulus clouds are present in all types of weather. They can be seen in extremely rainy conditions and are also indicators of warm, dry weather. People often misinterpret the stratocumulus clouds as rain clouds, whereas they produce nothing more than a light shower of rain when they precipitate.