Clouds of the Day - Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Sometimes the sky is just plain chaotic. The photos below show various forms of cirrus clouds. Some of the clouds are fibrous, while others are hair like, or in sheets or clumps. High winds aloft, above 20,000 feet, smear the clouds into many contorted shapes. Because these clouds are made mostly of ice crystals that fall from the cloud bases, the sky often looks like the clouds are brushed on over a blue canvas. The shapes often change every few minutes. Our “Clouds in Motion” section has good examples of cirrus and I will be adding more.

Cirrus are located upper left, cirrus floccus are found left center and upper left, and cirro stratus are in the lower right. Cirrus fibratus are bused in the center right and also in the left center.

Cirrus fibratus (top), cirrus spissatus (top, and cirrus (center and lower left).

This is a close-up of cirrus fibratus and cirrus floccus.

More cirrus fibratus and cirrus floccus

Cirrus spissatus (lower center and left center), Cirrus fibratus from the left center through the center to the upper right. Cirrus floccus is also scattered from the left center to the upper right.