Basic Types of Clouds

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‘According to the World Meteorological Organization's International Cloud Atlas, more than 100 types of clouds exist. The many variations, however, can be grouped into one of 10 basic types depending on their general shape and height in the sky. Thus, the 10 types are:

• Low-level clouds (cumulus, stratus, stratocumulus) that lie below 6,500 feet (1,981 m)

• Middle clouds (altocumulus, nimbostratus, altostratus) that form between 6,500 and 20,000 feet (1981–6,096 m)

• High-level clouds (cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus) that form above 20,000 feet (6,096 m)

• Cumulonimbus, which tower across the low, middle, and upper atmosphere

Cumulus - Cumulus clouds are the clouds you learned to draw at an early age and that serve as the symbol of all clouds (much like the snowflake symbolizes winter). Their tops are rounded, puffy, and a brilliant white when sunlit, while their bottoms are flat and relatively dark.  Cumulus clouds develop on clear, sunny days when the sun heats the ground directly below (diurnal convection). This is where they get their nickname of "fair weather" clouds. They appear in the late morning, grow, and then disappear toward evening.

Stratus - Stratus clouds hang low in the sky as a flat, featureless, uniform layer of grayish cloud. They resemble fog that hugs the horizon (instead of the ground).  Stratus clouds are seen on dreary, overcast days and are associated with light mist or drizzle.

Stratocumulus - If you took an imaginary knife and spread cumulus clouds together across the sky but not into a smooth layer (like stratus), you'd get stratocumulus—these are low, puffy, grayish or whitish clouds that occur in patches with blue sky visible in between. When viewed from underneath, stratocumulus have a dark, honeycomb appearance. You're likely to see stratocumulus on mostly cloudy days. They form when there's weak convection in the atmosphere. ‘ (Source) 

Let’s continue - 3 more basic types of clouds

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