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Information about Nimbostratus Cloud

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Heavy nimbostratus cover with some cumuliform fractus.
Heavy nimbostratus cover with some cumuliform fractus.
AbbreviationNs
Symbol
GenusNimbo- (rain)
-stratus (layered)
Speciescloud
Varietycloudy
Altitudebelow 2,400 m
(below 8,000 ft)
ClassificationFamily C (Low-level)
Appearanceformless layer
Precipitation Cloud?Yes, but may be virga
Enlarge picture
Nimbostratus has very few visual features.
Nimbo is from the Latin word "nimbus" meaning rain. A Nimbostratus is a cloud of the class characterized by a formless layer that is almost uniformly dark gray; it is a rain cloud of the layer type, of low altitude, usually below 8000 ft (2400 m) and sometimes down to 350 ft (100 m). Nimbostratus block a great amount of sunlight as a result of its characteristic dense structure. Thickness of nimbostratus layer is usually 6500..10000 ft (2000..3000 meters), but can reach up to 15000 ft (4500 m) and down to 3500 ft (1000 m). Nimbostratus in rare cases can be very thin and accompanied by separate layer of altostratus divided by cloudless layer.

The base of nimbostratus base cloud is dimmed by precipitation and usually isn't have clearly visible. In most cases, nimbostratus is accompanied by penus clouds, which develop under layer of nimbostratus. If pannus layer is completely opaque, presence of precipitation indicates presence of nimbostratus. The pannus movement is slow and uniform under nimbostratus.

Nimbostratus, stratus, altostratus and stratocumulus clouds all have a smooth gray appearance. Usually, steady moderate to heavy precipitation is clear sign of nimbostratus. However, precipitation does not occur at ground level in case of virga and accompanies other cloud types. There is number of features allowing to distinguish nimbostratus from other clouds:
  • Stratus clouds bring much lighter precipitation (drizzle) than nimbostratus;
  • Altostratus clouds are lighter in color and less opacue than nimbostratus, so sun can be seen through them;
  • Cirrostratus clouds never bring precipitation and have thin, whitish, veil-like structure, characteristic for cirrus;
  • Stratocumulus bring only light precipitation and have clearly visible base with easely distinguished separate cloud elements.
Moreover, large and low cumulonimbus cloud covering most of sky can be mistaken for nimbostratus. In this case, nimbostratus can be distinguished by lighter, constant precipitation.

Other typical precipitation-bearing clouds are cumulonimbus.

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Clouds    
High Clouds (Family A):Cirrus (Ci) • Cirrus uncinus • Cirrus Kelvin-Helmholtz colombia • Cirrostratus (Cs) • Cirrocumulus (Cc) • Pileus • Contrail
Middle Clouds (Family B):Altostratus (As) • Altostratus undulatus • Altocumulus (Ac) • Altocumulus undulatus • Altocumulus mackerel sky • Altocumulus castellanus • Altocumulus lenticularis
Low Clouds (Family C):Stratus (St) • Nimbostratus (Ns) • Cumulus humilis (Cu) • Cumulus mediocris (Cu) • Stratocumulus (Sc)
Vertical Clouds (Family D):Cumulonimbus (Cb) • Cumulonimbus incus • Cumulonimbus calvus • Cumulonimbus with mammatus • Cumulus congestus • Cumulus castellanus • Pyrocumulus  • Pyrocumulonimbus
1 metre =
SI units
1000 mm 0 cm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in
The metre or meter[1](symbol: m) is the fundamental unit of length in the International System of Units (SI).
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1 foot =
SI units
0 m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
0 yd 0 in
A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′
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virga is precipitation that falls from a cloud but evaporates before reaching the ground. At high altitudes the precipitation falls mainly as ice crystals before melting and finally evaporating; this is usually due to compressional heating, because the air pressure increases closer
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cloud is a visible mass of condensed droplets, frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body, such as a moon. (Clouds can also occur as masses of material in interstellar space, where they are called interstellar clouds and
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Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the atmosphere, and the solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.
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Altostratus is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by a generally uniform gray sheet or layer, lighter in color than nimbostratus and darker than cirrostratus. You can usually see the sun shining through them, and frequently cover the whole sky.
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Fractus clouds are small, ragged cloud fragments which, usually found under an ambient cloud base, form or have broken off a larger cloud, and are generally sheared by and shredded-looking due to strong winds.
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stratus cloud (St) is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by horizontal layering with a uniform base, as opposed to convective clouds that are as tall or taller than wide (these are termed cumulus clouds).
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Altostratus is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by a generally uniform gray sheet or layer, lighter in color than nimbostratus and darker than cirrostratus. You can usually see the sun shining through them, and frequently cover the whole sky.
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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).
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virga is precipitation that falls from a cloud but evaporates before reaching the ground. At high altitudes the precipitation falls mainly as ice crystals before melting and finally evaporating; this is usually due to compressional heating, because the air pressure increases closer
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stratus cloud (St) is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by horizontal layering with a uniform base, as opposed to convective clouds that are as tall or taller than wide (these are termed cumulus clouds).
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Altostratus is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by a generally uniform gray sheet or layer, lighter in color than nimbostratus and darker than cirrostratus. You can usually see the sun shining through them, and frequently cover the whole sky.
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Cirrostratus clouds belong to a class characterized by a composition of ice crystals and often by the production of halo phenomena. They appear as whitish and usually somewhat fibrous veils, often covering the whole sky and sometimes so thin as to be hardly discernible.
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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).
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Cumulonimbus (Cb) is a type of cloud that is tall, dense, and involved in thunderstorms and other intense weather. The clouds can form alone, in clusters, or along a cold front in a squall line.
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Cumulonimbus (Cb) is a type of cloud that is tall, dense, and involved in thunderstorms and other intense weather. The clouds can form alone, in clusters, or along a cold front in a squall line.
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cloud is a visible mass of condensed droplets, frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body, such as a moon. (Clouds can also occur as masses of material in interstellar space, where they are called interstellar clouds and
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Cirrus clouds are composed of ice crystals and are characterized by thin, wisplike strands, often accompanied by tufts. Sometimes these wispy clouds are so extensive that they are virtually indistinguishable from one another, forming a veil or sheet called "cirrostratus".
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Cirrus uncinus is a type of cirrus cloud. Its name is derived from Latin, meaning curly hooks. Also known as mares' tails, these clouds are generally sparse in the sky, and very thin.
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Cirrostratus clouds belong to a class characterized by a composition of ice crystals and often by the production of halo phenomena. They appear as whitish and usually somewhat fibrous veils, often covering the whole sky and sometimes so thin as to be hardly discernible.
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cirrocumulus is a high-altitude cloud, usually occurring at 20,000-40,000 ft (6,000-12,000 m). The term derives from the Latin cirrus "curl of hair", and cumulus "heaped".

Like other cumulus clouds, cirrocumulus clouds signify convection.
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pileus (Latin for cap) is a small, horizontal cloud that can appear above a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud, giving the parent cloud a characteristic "hoodlike" appearance. Pilei tend to change shape rapidly.
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Contrails or vapor trails are condensation trails and artificial cirrus clouds made by the exhaust of aircraft engines or wingtip vortices which precipitate a stream of tiny ice crystals in moist, frigid upper air.
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Altostratus is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by a generally uniform gray sheet or layer, lighter in color than nimbostratus and darker than cirrostratus. You can usually see the sun shining through them, and frequently cover the whole sky.
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altostratus undulatus is a type of low altocumulus cloud with signature undulations within it. These undulations may be visible (usually as "wavy bases"), but frequently they are indiscernible to the naked eye.
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Altocumulus (alto, "high", cumulus, "heaped") is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by globular masses or rolls in layers or patches, the individual elements being larger and darker than those of cirrocumulus and smaller than those of stratocumulus.
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altocumulus undulatus is a mid-level cloud (about 8000 - 20,000 ft or 2400 - 6100 m), usually white or grey with layers or patches containing undulations that resemble "waves" or "ripples" in water.
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mackerel sky is an indicator of moisture (the cloud) and instability (the cumulus form) at intermediate levels (2400-6100 m, 8000-20,000 ft). If the lower atmosphere is stable and no moist air moves in, the weather will most likely remain dry.
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Altocumulus castellanus (ACCAS) is named for its tower-like projections that billow upwards from the base of the cloud. The base of the cloud can form as low as 2,000 metres (6,500 feet), or as high as 6,000 metres (20,000 feet).
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