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Cirrostratus nebulosus

earth science Maturity 11-13 Next article →

High in the sky, you may see a special cloud. It is called cirrostratus nebulosus. The name comes from Latin words. They mean "full of vapor" or "cloudy." This cloud is very smooth. It has no lines or shapes. It looks the same all over. This is different from cirrostratus fibratus. That kind of cloud looks fibrous. Fibrous means it has thin lines.

How do these clouds form? They form when air rises gently. Most of these clouds are very light. But some can be very dense. Dense means they are thick. It can be hard to see them. You might see a halo. A halo is a bright ring of light. This happens when the sun shines through the cloud at a certain angle.

Watch these clouds in the winter. They do not make rain or snow. They are not precipitation-producing clouds. Precipitation is any water that falls from the sky. Still, rain or snow often follows these clouds in winter. They can be a sign of what is coming next.

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