Cirrocumulus cloud

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**Cirrocumulus cloud**
Cirrocumulus at the top of the image
Altitude	Above 6000 meters (20,000 feet)
Precipitation Cloud?	No

Cirrocumulus clouds are in high layers of sky and are formed horizontally. A Cirrocumulus is a high-altitude cirriform cloud, occurring at 20,000-40,000 ft or 6,000-12,000 m.

Cirrocumulus is formed from cirrus or cirrostratus clouds when they are warmed gently from below. The heating process causes air to rise and sink inside the cloud. This is why cirrocumulus is almost always associated with cirrus and cirrostratus. If this is not the case, the cloud is then an altocumulus.

1 Appearance
2 Structural characteristics
3 Varieties of cirrocumulus
4 External links

[edit] Appearance

Cirrocumulus clouds mean big and flat. Cirrocumulus cloudlets appear to be much smaller and the cloud provides no shadowing. They can show beautiful coronas.

[edit] Structural characteristics

The cloud is made of thin, white patches (cloudlets), each of which composed of very small granules or ripples. Like all high-level clouds, cirrocumulus consists of ice crystals. These crystals can be vaporized, and gaps between cloudlets appear.

[edit] Varieties of cirrocumulus

'''Castellanus''' is the formation that have tower-like protuberances in their superior parts. 'Floccus' cloud has the appearance of a cumuliform cluster whose basis is more or less jagged. 'Stratiformis' formations are extensive horizontally, forming a vast horizontal layer. 'Lenticularis' formations are lens-like or almond-like, with a well-defined circumference.

[edit] External links

Image:Commons-logo.svg	Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cirrocumulus clouds

National Science Digital Library - Cirrocumulus

v • d • e</div> Clouds
High Clouds (Family A):	Cirrus (Ci) • Cirrus uncinus • Cirrus Kelvin-Helmholtz colombia • Cirrostratus (Cs) • Cirrocumulus (Cc) • Pileus • Contrail
Middle Clouds (Family B):	Altostratus (As) • Altostratus undulatus • Altocumulus (Ac) • Altocumulus undulatus • Altocumulus mackerel sky • Altocumulus castellanus cloud • Altocumulus lenticularis
Low Clouds (Family C):	Stratus (St) • Nimbostratus (Ns) • Cumulus humilis (Cu) • Cumulus mediocris (Cu) • Stratocumulus (Sc)
Vertical Clouds (Family D):	Cumulonimbus (Cb) • Cumulonimbus incus • Cumulonimbus calvus • Cumulonimbus with mammatus • Cumulus congestus • Pyrocumulus • Pyrocumulonimbus