High Clouds

These are clouds with bases starting at an average of 20,000 feet.  Three types of high clouds are Cirrus, Cirrostratus, and Cirrocumulus.  Cirrus are thin-like crystal clouds.  Cirrostratus are thin white clouds that resemble veils.  Cirrocumulus are thin clouds that appear as small "cotton" patches.

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Clouds

Clouds are made up of millions of tiny droplets of water and ice.  Clouds can be separated into three categories: high clouds, middle clouds, and low clouds.

Research by Edward Trogdon

Low Clouds

These are clouds with bases starting near Earth's surface to 6,500 feet.  Three types of low clouds are Stratus, Stratocumulus, and Cumulus.  Stratus are thin, gray sheet-like clouds with low bases and bring drizzle and snow.  Stratocumulus are rounded cloud masses that form on top of a layer.  Cumulus are fair-weather clouds with flat bases and dome-shaped tops.

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Middle Clouds

These are clouds with the bases starting at about 10,000 feet.  Two types of middle clouds are Altostratus and Altocumulus.  Altostratus are a grayish or bluish layer of clouds that can obscure the Sun.  Altocumulus are gray or white layer of patches of solid clouds with rounded shapes.

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