There are many different types of clouds. The classification is on the basis of the height at which the clouds are formed at found. The first types of clouds are the high level clouds. These clouds are formed at about 6000 meters above the ground level. Middle level clouds are found at a height between 2000 and 6000 meters above the ground and the third types of the clouds are the low level clouds. The low level clouds are the clouds that are formed below 2000 meters above the ground. Thus, the basic classification of the cloud types is on the basis of the height at which they are found. The classification is further elaborated into sub-divisions. Let us discuss each of them.
High level clouds are the clouds that are formed at a height of about 6000 meters and more above the ground level. These clouds are generally at a very high altitude and have low temperature. It is because of the low temperature that the water vapor exists in crystal forms in these clouds. When light falls on these vapor crystals, it gets reflected and owing to this, the high level clouds appear in three different colors. High level clouds are of further three types:
a.) Cirrus Clouds: Cirrus clouds are the high level clouds that exist at a height of about 7000 meters above the ground level. These clouds are very light in color and they help predict the weather.
b.) Cirrocumulus clouds: The cirrocumulus clouds are the clouds that exist at a height between 6000 and 13000 meters above the ground level. The color of these clouds is generally white though it can also be a shade of gray at times. These clouds are mostly found during cold weather and hence they are also considered to be an indicator of the cold weather. These clouds do not mix or compile with other clouds to form larger bigger clouds. They exist in many numbers and layers and hence, they give the appearance of the scales of a fish.
c.) Cirrostratus clouds: The cirrostratus clouds are the high level clouds that are the indicators of heavy rain or storm. These clouds give the appearance of being thin sheets of clouds. When these clouds fall in the way of the moon or the sun light, the light refracts through them to create a beautiful display of colors in the sky.
The middle level clouds are the clouds that are found at a height that is between 2,000 and 6,000 meters above the ground level. Their temperature is not very low and hence, the water inside them exists both in the form of water droplets and ice crystals. The middle level clouds are also of two different types:
a.) Altocumulus clouds: The altocumulus middle level clouds are the clouds that always exist in a compiled number i.e. to say, they will always be found in a group, joined to each other. When seen from the earth, they appear like white puffy masses of snow. If seen on a warm and humid day, these clouds can be considered to be an indicator of imminent thunderstorm or heavy shower.
b.) Altostratus clouds: These clouds are found in the sky mostly before a storm. They are usually bluish in color though they can be of gray color at times. Since the altostratus clouds are found at a medium height above the ground, they are also made of both ice crystals and water droplets. The main difference between the altostratus and altocumulus clouds is that while the latter are found in groups, the former exist as single and are spread over largely.
The low level clouds are the clouds that are formed at a height below 2000 meters above the ground. Mostly, these clouds are formed of water droplets. However, during extremely cold weather, they can also have ice particles. The low level clouds are of three different types:
a.) Stratus Clouds: The low level clouds that appear bluish or grayish in color and are responsible for causing rain or storm are known as the stratus clouds. One can find these clouds after a thick fog.
b.) Cumulonimbus clouds: These are the clouds that are primarily responsible for rain. They are usually found at about 10km above the ground. When seen from earth, they appear like a cauliflower.
c.) Nimbostratus clouds: These clouds are usually a very dark shade of gray and they indicate heavy rainfall. When they appear, they cover up the whole sky.
Given above, was the classification of the clouds on the basis of the height above the ground at which they exist.
Yet other different kinds of clouds are the vertical clouds. These clouds are formed at a height of about 12000 meter above the ground. Their color is usually light gray. They indicate very light rainfall during summers and snow during winters. ss
