Cirrus (Ci)

  • Cirrus (Ci) ~ High Clouds
    Heights in metres: between 6,000 metres and 13,000 metres.
    Height in feet: 20,000 feet and 43,000 feet.
    Height in miles: above 3.7 miles and 8½ miles.
    Height in kilometres: between 4.8km and 13.7km.
  • Cirrus (Ci)
    – “high and wispy” cloud.
    – While Cirrostratus is a flat sheet, Cirrus clouds are detached and delicate.
    – These clouds are often seen at high altitudes and are made of ice crystals, not water droplets.
    – They can indicate fair weather, but sometimes foreshadow a change, like an approaching warm front.
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  • Key features of Cirrus clouds
    – The word Cirrus actually means “curl of hair” in Latin.
    – Think of ~ Strands of hair, “mare’s tails,” or white feathers.
    – The Look ~ Thin, white patches or narrow bands with a silky sheen.
    – Thin, white patches or narrow bands with a silky sheen, usually high in the sky.
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  • Simple way to remember
    – To remember Cirrus individual, curly “whisps” with lots of blue sky visible between them.
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Six typical species of Cirrus clouds: 

  • Cirrus uncinus
  • Cirrus spissatus
  • Cirrus floccus
  • Cirrus castellanus
  • Cirrus vertebratus

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Images of Cirrus by Derek Rowley

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Back to Earth Features – Clouds Development
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