Clouds of the Day - Saturday, November 21, 2020

Cirrus clouds are found in the highest parts of the troposphere, above 16, 500 feet. They are not the highest clouds in our atmosphere but they are the highest that we see every day. Cirrus is one of the ten primary cloud types but it is also the name used to describe this family of clouds. The other cirrus types in this family include cirrostratus and cirrocumulus. When species and variety names are used to classify the cirrus types the list of names becomes quite long. Check out the online Cloud Atlas for more information.

This day featured only cirrus clouds. The low and middle layers of the atmosphere were quite dry. A weak wave (upper level system) crossed Iowa but with moisture lacking only these high clouds were observed. It is common for weak systems to move along the westerlies regularly but without moisture we hardly notice them. These systems will often change our wind direction and barometric pressure and sometimes make slight changes in temperature. Other than that, most people go about their daily activities without knowing these systems pass by.

Cirrostratus

Cirrostratus

Cirrus fibratus and Cirrostratus

Cirrostratus

Cirrostratus

Cirrostratus, Cirrus, and Cirrocumulus