Stratocumulus cloud
| Stratocumulus cloud | |
|---|---|
| File:Mount Kinabalu Clouds 8.jpg A group of stratocumulus clouds hanging low over the mountain valley seen from the summit of Mount Kinabalu. | |
| Abbreviation | Sc |
| Precipitation | Not usually |
A stratocumulus cloud belongs to a class characterized by large dark, rounded masses, usually in groups, lines, or waves, the individual elements being larger than those in altocumuli, and the whole being at a lower altitude, usually below 2,400 m (8,000 ft). Weak convective currents create shallow cloud layers because of drier, stable air above preventing continued vertical development.
Generally stratocumuli bring no precipitation or only drizzle / light rain or snow at best. However, these clouds are often seen at either the front or tail end of worse weather, so may indicate storms to come, in the form of thunderheads or gusty winds.
These are similar in appearance to altocumuli and are often mistaken for such. A simple test to distinguish these is to compare the size of individual masses or rolls: when pointing your hand in the direction of the cloud, if the cloud is about the size of your thumb, it is altocumulus; if it is the size of your entire hand, it is stratocumulus.
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