Cirrocumulus clouds
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Cirrocumulus clouds by Evelyn Simak as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Cirrocumulus clouds
Image: © Evelyn Simak Taken: 27 May 2017
Cirrocumulus clouds consist of lots of small white clouds called cloudlets, usually made up of both ice and so-called supercooled, ie very cold water remaining in a liquid state despite temperatures being well below 0oC, usually grouped together at high levels. The cloudlets are regularly spaced and often arranged as ripples, sometimes appearing to look similar to the scaly skin of fish. They form at a height ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 feet when turbulent vertical currents meet a cirrus layer, creating the puffy cumulus shape. Precipitation from cirrocumulus clouds never reaches the surface, meaning that these clouds are usually associated with fair-weather, their appearance, however, can often prelude stormy weather. The name of this cloud formation is derived from the Latin 'cirrus', which means a lock or tuft of hair, and 'cumulus', meaning heap.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
52.579275
Longitude
1.434169