altocumulus
1
8.6
- noun
- /ˌæltoʊˈkjuːmələs/
- Specialized
:
altocúmulo
- He had even been learning his clouds: the anvil shape of the nimbus, the difference in altitude and attitude between altocumulus and cirrostratus.
- altocumulus cloud
Examples
-
As I looked up, I saw altocumulus clouds forming patterns across the sky, resembling a dappled blanket.
-
Forget that it's supposed to take place over the Mojave Desert, where clouds of any species are rare, but no altocumulus cloud anywhere in Earth's real atmosphere would be caught dead above 20,000 feet.
Academic text (2002) -
Altocumulus in solid regular rolls.
Fiction book (1995) -
the rare days with only a few scudding altocumulus and no stratus banked
Fiction book (1993) -
As he ascends supersonically, you see puffy white altocumulus clouds whizzing by.
Academic text (2002) -
Lenticular clouds (Altocumulus lenticularis) are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes, normally in perpendicular alignment to the wind direction.
Blog text (6) -
The weather was picturesque, with altocumulus clouds drifting lazily above the mountains during the afternoon.
-
While hiking, we stood in awe beneath a stunning display of altocumulus clouds that seemed to roll endlessly across the horizon.
Synonyms
White or gray rounded cloud patches in the middle sky
Compounds
How High
- Specialized
2
7.0
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
8.6
4
4.9
- Specialized
1
5.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Altocumulus comes from Latin parts alto- meaning 'high' and cumulus meaning 'heap' or 'pile', the same cumulus you see as puffy clouds. So altocumulus are 'high piles' of rounded clouds that usually sit at medium heights in the sky.