NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Altocumulus mackerel sky

A mackerel sky is an indicator of moisture (the cloud) and instability (the cumulus form) at intermediate levels (2400-6100 m, 8000-20,000 ft). If the lower atmosphere is stable and no moist air moves in, the weather will most likely remain dry. However, moisture at lower levels combined with surface temperature instability can lead to rainshowers or thunderstorms should the rising moist air reach this layer. In the winter it is often said to precede snowstorms and fluries. There is an old saying, "Mackerel sky, mackerel sky. Never long wet and never long dry." The phrase 'mackerel sky' came from the fact that it looks similar to the markings of an adult king mackerel. Image File history File links Mackerelskylincolnshire. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. ... Image File history File links CM_8. ... // High-level clouds Cirrus Clouds (from above) Abbreviation: Ci Cirrus clouds form above 16,500 feet (5,000 m), in the cold region of the troposphere. ... The or meter (see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, â€² â€“ a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Cumulus mediocris clouds, as seen from a plane window. ... Layers of Atmosphere - not to scale (NOAA)[3] Earths atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth and retained by the Earths gravity. ... A shelf cloud associated with a heavy or severe thunderstorm over Enschede, The Netherlands. ...

Categories: Atmospheric science stubs | Cumulus Cumulus mediocris clouds, as seen from a plane window. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Cirrus uncinus is a type of cirrus cloud. ... A KHI on the planet Saturn, formed at the interaction of two bands of the planets atmosphere Kelvin-Helmholtz instability can occur when velocity shear is present within a continuous fluid or when there is sufficient velocity difference across the interface between two fluids. ... Cirrostratus showing an extremely large halo. ... A cirrocumulus is a high-altitude cloud, usually occurring at 20,000-40,000 ft (6,000-12,000 m). ... A pileus (Latin for cap) is a small, horizontal cloud that can appear above a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud, giving the parent cloud a characteristic hoodlike appearance. ... Contrails are condensation trails (sometimes vapour trails): artificial cirrus clouds made by the exhaust of aircraft engines or wingtip vortices which precipitate a stream of tiny ice crystals in moist, frigid upper air. ... Altostratus is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by a generally uniform gray sheet or layer, lighter in color than nimbostratus and darker than cirrostratus. ... Image provided by Simon Eugster The altostratus undulatus is a type of low altocumulus cloud with signature undulations within it. ... An Altocumulus is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by globular masses or rolls in layers or patches, the individual elements being larger and darker than those of cirrocumulus and smaller than those of stratocumulus. ... The altocumulus undulatus is a mid-level cloud (about 8000 - 20,000 ft or 2400 - 6100 m), usually white or grey with layers or patches containing undulations that resemble waves or ripples in water. ... Altocumulus Castellanus is a family B type cloud. ... Lenticular clouds, technically known as altocumulus standing lenticularis, are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes, normally aligned at right-angles to the wind direction. ... A stratus cloud (St) is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by horizontal pictures with a uniform butt, as opposed to convective clouds that are as tall or taller than wide (these are termed cumulus clouds). ... Nimbostratus has very few features. ... Cumulus humilis, with cumulus congestus on the horizon Cumulus humilis (from L humilis, humble) is what is commonly referred to as fair weather cumulus. These clouds typically occur at 500 to 1000 metres altitude and rarely reach 2000 metres. ... Cumulus mediocris (from the Latin for moderate) is a cloud form of the cumulus family, slightly larger in vertical development than Cumulus humilis. ... A stratocumulus cloud belongs to a class characterized by large dark, rounded masses, usually in groups, lines, or waves, the individual elements being larger than those in altocumuli, and the whole being at a lower altitude, usually below 2,400 m (8,000 ft). ... Cumulonimbus (Cb) is a type of cloud that is tall, dense, and involved in thunderstorms and other intense weather. ... A cumulonimbus incus cloud has a characteristic anvil-top shape. ... Cumulonimbus calvus is an moderately tall cumulonimbus cloud which is capable of precipitation, but has not yet reached the height where it forms into a cumulonimbus incus (anvil-top). ... Mammatus clouds in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1973 Cumulonimbus with mammatus formed after Hurricane Catarina in Santa Catarina, Brazil, 2004 Another view of the post-Catarina mammatus formation Mammatus (also known as mamma or mammatocumulus) is a meteorological term applied to a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a... Cumulus congestus clouds are characteristic of unstable areas of the atmosphere which are undergoing convection. ... Pyrocumulus, or fire cumulus, is a dense cumuliform cloud usually found at an altitude of 1500 m. ... The pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) is a type of cloud formed above a source of heat such as a wildfire or industrial plant. ...