Like most people, who would rather have their feet tucked into a pair of wellies than under a desk, I have spent a reasonable amount of time thinking about the weather.  Knowing the cloud is called a nimbus- something, isn’t going to keep you dry but it may make you feel a little warmer inside.

Here is a beginners guide to ‘Naming the Clouds.’

Cirrus                          Wispy                                  Cloud is high in the sky

Alto                             Medium height                    Cloud is at a medium height.

Stratus                        flattened/ spread out

Cumulus                     heaped/ fluffy/cauliflower like

Numbus                      dark/rain/snow/thunder

Once remembered these Latin words can be combined to give us the cloud name because a cloud name is just a description.

Clouds can be one type of cloud, Cumulus, (the big fluffy clouds which resemble a cauliflower) or a combination; Cumulonimbus (The big fluffy dark clouds which bring rain or snow.)

Cirro means high up and wispy,  Stratus means flattened or spread out. High up, flattened out clouds then are ‘Cirrostratus.’

What about the same sort of cloud but at a different height? Alto means medium height. Therefore flattened out clouds at a medium height are Altostratus.

So, for the purpose of this blog remember a couple of heights, three main cloud types and the dreaded Nimbus and you can start recognising and naming some of the clouds as well as pointing out which ones look like bunnies, faces, whatever else it is you see in the clouds.

For a much more comprehensive guide please go to:  http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/clouds/cloud-names-classifications