CIRRUS
CLOUDS - GEOGRAPHY
News:
Weather Words: 'Goat's
Hair’
What's
in the news?
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Israeli researchers have uncovered a
compelling connection between thunderstorms and the proliferation of wispy
cirrus clouds, potentially accelerating global warming.
Cirrus
Clouds:
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They are delicate, feathery clouds that are made mostly of ice crystals.
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They are thin and wispy in appearance,
often appearing as delicate,
high-altitude filaments or strands.
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Their wispy shape comes from wind
currents, which twist and spread the ice crystals into strands.
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They are usually white or have a light grey colour. In the daytime, they are whiter
than any other cloud in the sky.
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They are commonly known as "mare's tails" because they
are shaped like the tail of a horse.
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Typically found at heights greater than 20,000 feet (6,000 metres), cirrus clouds are
composed of ice crystals that originate from the freezing of supercooled water
droplets.
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They generally occur in fair weather and point in the direction of air movement at
their elevation.
Go
back to basics:
High
Clouds:
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They can reach above 6000 meters or 20,000 feet.
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They are also known as Cirrus Clouds.
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They are usually thin and are made up of
ice.
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They often indicate fair weather and hence do not produce rain.
Middle
Clouds:
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They form between 6,500 feet and cirrus
level or from 2000 to 6000 meters.
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They are also known as “Alto” clouds.
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They frequently indicate an approaching storm.
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They may sometimes produce Virga, which is rain or snow that does
not reach the ground.
Low
Clouds:
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They lie below 6,500 feet, which means from the surface to 2,000 meters.
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They are also known as Stratus Clouds.
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They may appear dense, dark, and rainy (or snowy) and can also be cottony white
clumps interspersed with blue sky.