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│  L'Weather        CLOUDS.HLP Some Information About Clouds        03-10-1990 │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                              │
│  1.  Low Clouds    - Cloud bases between land surface and 7000' (0--2km).    │
│  2.  Medium Clouds - Cloud bases between 7000 and 25000'        (2--8km).    │
│  3.  High Clouds   - Cloud bases between 16000 and 45000'       (5--13km).   │
│                                                                              │
│    General Information :  Cirrus is a higher cloud than Altostratus, and     │
│                           Altostratus higher than cumulus, etc.              │
│                                                                              │
│    Classification by shape :   a.  Heap Clouds (Cumuliform)                  │
│                                b.  Layer Clouds (Stratiform)                 │
│                                c.  Feathery Clouds (Cirroform)               │
│                                                                              │
├───────────────┬────────────┬───────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┤
│Height & Shape │Abbreviation│ Name          │ Description                     │
├───────────────┼────────────┼───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────┤
│    1a         │    Cu      │ Cumulus       │ Low heap clouds of small        │
│               │            │               │ vertical extent                 │
│               │            │               │                                 │
│    1ab        │    Sc      │ Stratocumulus │ Low heap layer clouds either    │
│               │            │               │ broken or covering whole sky.   │
│               │            │               │                                 │
│    123a       │    Cb      │ Cumulonimbus  │ Heap clouds of great vertical   │
│               │            │               │ extent producing showers and    │
│               │            │               │ thunderstorms.                  │
│               │            │               │                                 │
│    1b         │    St      │ Stratus       │ Low, or very low, amorphous     │
│               │            │               │ layer clouds covering coasts    │
│               │            │               │ and hills.                      │
│               │            │               │                                 │
│    123b       │    Ns      │ Nimbostratus  │ Layered, often solid clouds of  │
│               │            │               │ great vertical extent associated│
│               │            │               │ with bad weather.               │
│               │            │               │                                 │
│    2ab        │    Ac      │ Altocumulus   │ Medium level heap clouds in     │
│               │            │               │ 'islands' or 'rafts' seldom     │
│               │            │               │ covering the whole sky.         │
│               │            │               │ Associated with the term        │
│               │            │               │ 'mackerel sky', other forms are │
│               │            │               │ lenticularis (lens-shaped) and  │
│               │            │               │ castellanus and floccus         │
│               │            │               │ (chaotic clouds of thundery     │
│               │            │               │ skies).                         │
│               │            │               │                                 │
│    2b         │    As      │ Altostratus   │ Medium level layer clouds       │
│               │            │               │ associated with the term        │
│               │            │               │ 'a watery sun'.                 │
│               │            │               │                                 │
│    3c         │    Ci      │ Cirrus        │ High clouds mainly formed by    │
│               │            │               │ more-or-less dense heads from   │
│               │            │               │ which fall streaks or trails    │
│               │            │               │ (fallstreaks).  So producing    │
│               │            │               │ hooks, banners, etc.            │
│               │            │               │ Associated with the term        │
│               │            │               │ 'mares tails'.                  │
│               │            │               │                                 │
│    3ab        │    Cc      │ Cirrocumulus  │ High heap clouds arranged       │
│               │            │               │ together in sheets of dappled   │
│               │            │               │ or rippled, etc. appearance.    │
│               │            │               │ Associated with 'mackerel sky'. │
│               │            │               │                                 │
│    3b         │    Cs      │ Cirrostratus  │ High amorphous cloud often      │
│               │            │               │ covering the entire sky and     │
│               │            │               │ sometimes only revealed by the  │
│               │            │               │ presence of haloes about the    │
│               │            │               │ sun or the moon.                │
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