Stra

tocu

mul

usCo

mm

on. S

ome-

times

cove

ring

the w

hole

sky,

som

etim

es

mor

e like

fla

ttene

d cu

mul

us.

Cum

ulus

Smal

l cum

ulus

ha

ve a

cot

ton

woo

l sha

pe.

Oft

en g

row

to

bun

ch

toge

ther

. N

o ra

in.

Altostr

atus

Thick

er th

an

cirro

strat

us; su

n

visib

le as

disc

.

No shad

ows

or halo

.

Altocumulus Broken into small flat clouds, often regularly ar- ranged. No rain or snow.

CirrusSom

etimes delicate,

hair-like strands.

Sometim

es thicker blobs.

Cirrostratus

A veil of thin white

cloud. Sun clearly

visible with

shadows. Often

with a halo.

Cirrocumulus

Not a com

mon

type. Some-

times dappled

or rippled. Sun visible.

Nimbostratus

Thick, dark stratus,

giving rain, which

is often heavy

and prolonged.

Difficult to

photo-

graph.

CumulonimbusCumulus grown tall and dark. Showers likely. Top can be very high, sometimes feathery or flat.

Stratus

Grey, flat and bor-

ing, no sun visi-

ble. Drizzle may

fall. Called hill

fog on high

ground.

Low Rain Falling Low Rain Falling Low Below 2000m

L

ow Below 20

00m

Lo

w B

elow

200

0m

Mid

-leve

l 200

0 to 6000m

Mid-level 2000 to 6000m High above 6000m High above 6000m

High above 6000m

MetLinkCloud Wheel

Cut out along the dotted lines, poke a hole in the centre of both circles and put a paper fastener through the holes. You are now ready to identify clouds.

Ci

CcCu

As

Ac

Ns

Cb St

Sc

Cs

cut out

cut out

MetLink

www.metlink.org

CloudWheel

MetLinkCloud Wheel

Cut out along the dotted lines, poke a hole in the centre of both circles and put a paper fastener through the holes. You are now ready to identify clouds.