Stratocumulus castellanus cloud

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Stratocumulus castellanus
Stratocumulus castellanus 3oct.jpg
Stratocumulus castellanus, with various turrets of very small size and one of a larger size
AbbreviationSc cas
Symbol Stratocumulus.svg
Genus Stratocumulus
Species Castellanus
AltitudeAbove 2,000 m
(Above 6,560 ft)
Appearancesmall turrets
Precipitation Virga, and sometimes light rain

Stratocumulus castellanus or Stratocumulus castellatus [1] is a type of stratocumulus cloud. Castellanus is derived from Latin, meaning 'of a castle.' Clouds of this type appear as cumuliform turrets vertically rising from a common horizontal cloud base. These turrets are taller than they are wide. [2]

The presence of stratocumulus castellanus clouds indicates an increasingly unstable atmosphere, [3] and seeing this type of cloud in the morning usually means that there is a possibility of thunderstorms forming later in the afternoon. [4] In the right conditions, these clouds can grow into cumulus congestus clouds and, sometimes, into cumulonimbus clouds. [5]

References

  1. "Appendix 3 - History of cloud nomenclature".
  2. "Stratocumulus castellanus (Sc cas) | International Cloud Atlas". 2021-09-19. Archived from the original on 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  3. World Meteorological Organization (1975). Manual on the observation of clouds and other meteors. Internet Archive. Geneva : Secretariat of the World Meteorological Organization. ISBN   978-92-63-10407-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  4. "Castellanus Clouds: Rising Towers, Turrets | WhatsThisCloud". 2021-11-02. Archived from the original on 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  5. "Stratocumulus castellanus (Sc cas) | International Cloud Atlas". 2021-09-19. Archived from the original on 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2021-11-02.