Cirrus and Cumulus
Cirrus (cloud classification symbol: Ci) is a genus of atmospheric cloud generally characterized by thin, wispy strands, giving the type its name from the Latin word cirrus, meaning a ringlet or curling lock of hair. This cloud can form at any altitude between 16,500 ft (5.0 km; 3.13 mi) and 45,000 ft (14 km; 8.5 mi) above sea level. The strands of cloud sometimes appear in tufts of a distinctive form referred to by the common name of "mares' tails".
On planet Earth, cirrus generally appears white or light grey in color. It forms when water vapor undergoes deposition at altitudes above 5,500 m (18,000 ft) in temperate regions. Since cirrus clouds arrive in advance of the frontal system, it indicates that weather conditions may soon deteriorate. While it indicates the arrival of precipitation (rain), cirrus clouds only produce fall streaks (falling ice crystals that evaporate before landing on the ground).
Lower down are Cumulus clouds which are clouds which have flat bases and are often described as "puffy", "cotton-like" or "fluffy" in appearance. Their name derives from the Latin cumulo-, meaning heap or pile. Cumulus clouds are low-level clouds, generally less than 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in altitude unless they are the more vertical cumulus congestus form. Cumulus clouds may appear by themselves, in lines, or in clusters.
Cumulus clouds are often precursors of other types of clouds, such as cumulonimbus, when influenced by weather factors such as instability, moisture, and temperature gradient. Normally, cumulus clouds produce little or no precipitation, but they can grow into the precipitation-bearing congestus or cumulonimbus clouds. Cumulus clouds can be formed from water vapor, supercooled water droplets, or ice crystals, depending upon the ambient temperature. They come in many distinct subforms, and generally cool the earth by reflecting the incoming solar radiation. Cumulus clouds are part of the larger category of free-convective cumuliform clouds, which include cumulonimbus clouds. The latter genus-type is sometimes categorized separately as cumulonimbiform due to its more complex structure that often includes a cirriform or anvil top. There are also cumuliform clouds of limited convection that comprise stratocumulus (low-étage), altocumulus (middle-étage) and cirrocumulus (high-étage). These last three genus-types are sometimes classified separately as stratocumuliform.
The meadow here is in Wenvoe (Welsh: Gwenfô) which is a Welsh village and community between Barry and Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Nearby is the Wenvoe Transmitter near Twyn-yr-Odyn and the Site of the former HTV Wales Television Centre at Culverhouse Cross which is now a new housing estate in the suburbs of Cardiff. It is home to the Wenvoe Quarry and Wenvoe Castle Golf Club.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrus_cloud
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulus_cloud
Cirrus and Cumulus
Cirrus (cloud classification symbol: Ci) is a genus of atmospheric cloud generally characterized by thin, wispy strands, giving the type its name from the Latin word cirrus, meaning a ringlet or curling lock of hair. This cloud can form at any altitude between 16,500 ft (5.0 km; 3.13 mi) and 45,000 ft (14 km; 8.5 mi) above sea level. The strands of cloud sometimes appear in tufts of a distinctive form referred to by the common name of "mares' tails".
On planet Earth, cirrus generally appears white or light grey in color. It forms when water vapor undergoes deposition at altitudes above 5,500 m (18,000 ft) in temperate regions. Since cirrus clouds arrive in advance of the frontal system, it indicates that weather conditions may soon deteriorate. While it indicates the arrival of precipitation (rain), cirrus clouds only produce fall streaks (falling ice crystals that evaporate before landing on the ground).
Lower down are Cumulus clouds which are clouds which have flat bases and are often described as "puffy", "cotton-like" or "fluffy" in appearance. Their name derives from the Latin cumulo-, meaning heap or pile. Cumulus clouds are low-level clouds, generally less than 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in altitude unless they are the more vertical cumulus congestus form. Cumulus clouds may appear by themselves, in lines, or in clusters.
Cumulus clouds are often precursors of other types of clouds, such as cumulonimbus, when influenced by weather factors such as instability, moisture, and temperature gradient. Normally, cumulus clouds produce little or no precipitation, but they can grow into the precipitation-bearing congestus or cumulonimbus clouds. Cumulus clouds can be formed from water vapor, supercooled water droplets, or ice crystals, depending upon the ambient temperature. They come in many distinct subforms, and generally cool the earth by reflecting the incoming solar radiation. Cumulus clouds are part of the larger category of free-convective cumuliform clouds, which include cumulonimbus clouds. The latter genus-type is sometimes categorized separately as cumulonimbiform due to its more complex structure that often includes a cirriform or anvil top. There are also cumuliform clouds of limited convection that comprise stratocumulus (low-étage), altocumulus (middle-étage) and cirrocumulus (high-étage). These last three genus-types are sometimes classified separately as stratocumuliform.
The meadow here is in Wenvoe (Welsh: Gwenfô) which is a Welsh village and community between Barry and Cardiff in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Nearby is the Wenvoe Transmitter near Twyn-yr-Odyn and the Site of the former HTV Wales Television Centre at Culverhouse Cross which is now a new housing estate in the suburbs of Cardiff. It is home to the Wenvoe Quarry and Wenvoe Castle Golf Club.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrus_cloud
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulus_cloud