cirrus clouds

High ice crystals

Cirrus clouds are thin, wispy clouds that form at high altitudes, composed entirely of ice crystals.

They appear as delicate white streaks or curls across the sky, often described as resembling hair or feathers.

Cirrus clouds typically indicate fair weather but can signal an approaching warm front when they thicken: The cirrus clouds stretched across the horizon like brushstrokes.

Related

atmosphere · blue sky · sky · high · thinness · weather · wispy clouds · streaks · sublimation · wisps · mare's tails · condensation · solar radiation · ice · contrails · transparent · white · forecasting

Categories
Opposites
cloud altitude

cirrus cloudsfog

Low-lying cloud cover

ground fog · nimbostratus · stratocumulus · sea fog

cloud form/texture

cirrus cloudscumulus clouds

Fluffy heaped sky formations

thunderheads · dense clouds · fluffy clouds · cotton ball clouds · stratocumulus

weather association

cirrus cloudsstorm clouds

Rain-bearing atmospheric formations

thunderclouds · rain clouds · dark clouds · thunderheads · nimbostratus

Family

cirrus

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G