Atmospheric
Moisture
Low Clouds
Low clouds are those that form from the surface up to 2,000 meters. Low clouds
include: stratus, stratocumulus, and nimbostratus.
Figure
AM.22 Stratus cloud
(Source NOAA. Click image to enlarge)
Stratus clouds appear as a uniform dark-gray layer of clouds covering
the entire sky. Stratus clouds often form along warm fronts and can give way to
nimbostratus as the front approaches your location. Stratus clouds may also
form by
the lifting of a fog bank.
Figure
AM.23 Stratocumulus cloud
(Source NOAA. Click image to enlarge)
Stratocumulus clouds appear
as lumpy, low lying clouds that cover much of the sky. They form patches
or rows of clouds with some blue sky between the individual cloud units.
Figure
AM.24 Nimbostratus cloud
(Source NOAA. Click image to enlarge)
Nimbostratus clouds are dark-gray layer of clouds that cover the entire
sky. The prefix "nimbo" indicates that these clouds are precipitating.
Nimbostratus clouds are typically found along a warm front producing low intensity
precipitation that lasts for several hours.
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