Short description: Tpye of cloud
| Cirrus spissatus cloud |
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 Cirrus uncinus and Cirus spissatus merging into cirrostratus fibratus over Swifts Creek, Victoria. |
| Abbreviation | Ci Spi |
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| Genus | Cirrus- "curl" |
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| Species | Spissatus "thick" |
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| Altitude | 6000-13,700 m (20,000-45,000 ft) |
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| Classification | Family A (High-level) |
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| Appearance | fine threads or whips |
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| Precipitation cloud? | None |
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Cirrus spissatus or also called Cirrus densus and Cirrus nothus [1] clouds are the highest of the main cloud genera, and may sometimes even occur in the lower stratosphere. The characteristic features of cirrus clouds are fine threads or wisps of ice crystals, generally white, but appearing grey when dense and seen against the light. There is no precipitation at the ground. It also frequently exhibits optical phenomena.
Cirrus spissatus is the dense cirrus that will partly or completely hide the sun (or moon) and which appears dark grey when seen against the light. Although it arises under various circumstances, it is particularly commonly found in the plumes or anvils of cumulonimbus clouds.
Precipitation is likely within 15 to 25 hours if winds are steady from NE E to S, or sooner if winds SE to S. Other winds bring an overcast sky.
A different variety of cirrus spissatus also forms from phenomena that have nothing to do with cumulonimbus blow-off or dissipating cumulonimbus cells.[citation needed] When dense cirrus is formed by means other than by cumulonimbus blow-off or dissipating cumulonimbus clouds, it will frequently be seen as many dense patches at different levels (cirrus spissatus duplicatus), often mixed with thin cirrus filaments.[citation needed] Another variety, cirrus spissatus intortus, is sometimes described as looking like "entangled sheaves" of cirrus clouds. When viewed toward the sun, the denser patches often have gray bases.
See also
References
- ↑ "Appendix 3 - History of cloud nomenclature". https://cloudatlas.wmo.int/en/appendix-3-history-of-cloud-nomenclature.html#cirrus.
Sources
- [1]
- http://www.clouds-online.com/cloud_atlas/cirrus/cirrus.htm
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110605020117/http://www.tpub.com/content/aerographer/14269/css/14269_34.htm
- http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spissus#Latin
[[Earth:ClCloud List of cloud types|genera]] and selected species, supplementary features, and other airborne hydrometeors - WMO Latin terminology except where indicated |
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| Mesospheric | Extreme-level 80-85 km | Noctilucent (NLC) polar mesospheric clouds |
- Noctilucent
- Polar mesospheric clouds
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| Stratospheric | Very High-level 15-30 km | | Nacreous clouds | |
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Nitric acid and water polar stratospheric clouds (PSC) |
- Nitric acid and water polar stratospheric clouds
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| Tropospheric | High-level 3-18 km | | Cirrus (Ci) | | Species |
- Cirrus castellanus (Ci cas)
- Cirrus fibratus (Ci fib)
- Cirrus floccus (Ci flo)
- Cirrus spissatus (Ci spa)
- Cirrus uncinus (Ci unc)
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| Ci only varieties |
- Cirrus intortus (Ci in)
- Cirrus vertebratus (Ci ve)
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| Cirrocumulus (Cc) | | Species |
- Cirrocumulus castellanus (Cc cas)
- Cirrocumulus floccus (Cc flo)
- Cirrocumulus lenticularis (Cc len)
- Cirrocumulus stratiformis (Cc str)
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| Cirrostratus (Cs) | | Species |
- Cirrostratus fibratus (Cs fib)
- Cirrostratus nebulosus (Cs neb)
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High-level only accessory and other |
- (Homomutatus (homut) Contrail)
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Medium-level 2-8 km | | Altocumulus (Ac) | | Species |
- Altocumulus castellanus (Ac cas)
- Altocumulus floccus (Ac flo)
- Altocumulus lenticularis (Ac len)
- Altocumulus stratiformis (Ac str)
- Altocumulus volutus (Ac vol)
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| Altostratus (As) | |
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| Nimbostratus (Ns) | |
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Low-level 0-2 km | | Cumulonimbus (Cb) | | Species |
- Cumulonimbus calvus (Cb cal)
- Cumulonimbus capillatus (Cb cap)
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| Cb Only Supplementary features |
- Cumulonimbus cauda ((cau) Tail cloud)
- Cumulonimbus incus (inc)
- Cumulonimbus murus ((mur) Wall cloud)
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| Cb only Accessories & Other |
- Cumulonimbus flumen ((Cb flu) Beaver tail)
- Overshooting top
- Hot tower
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| Cumulus (Cu) | | Species |
- Fractus
- Cumulus humilis (Cu hum)
- Cumulus mediocris (Cu med)
- Cumulus congestus (Cu con) (ICAO term Towering cumulus [Tcu])
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| Other | |
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| Stratus (St) | | Species |
- Stratus fractus (St fra)
- Stratus nebulosus (St neb)
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| St only Accessories & Other |
- Stratus silvagenitus (St sil)
- Fog
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| Stratocumulus (Sc) | | Species |
- Stratocumulus castellanus (Sc cas)
- Stratocumulus floccus (Sc flo)
- Stratocumulus lenticularis (Sc len)
- Stratocumulus stratiformis (Sc str)
- Stratocumulus volutus (Sc vol)
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Low-level only supplementary features |
- Arcus ((arc) Shelf)
- Tuba ((tub) Funnel cloud)
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Low-level only accessory and other |
- Pileus (pil)
- Velum (vel)
- Flammagenitus (flgen)
- Cataractagenitus (cagen)
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Non-height specific | | Varieties |
- Duplicatus (du)
- Lacunosus (la)
- Opacus (op)
- Perlucidus (pe)
- Radiatus (ra)
- Translucidus (tr)
- Undulatus (un)
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| Supplementary features |
- Asperitas (asp)
- Cavum (cav)
- Fluctus (flu)
- Mamma (mam)
- Praecipitatio (pra)
- Virga (vir)
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| accessory and other |
- Accessory cloud
- Pannus (pan)
- Homogenitus (hogen)
- Actinoform cloud
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 | Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrus spissatus cloud. Read more |