The sky may have caught your attention recently with some uncommon clouds over our area, making it a great time to learn the difference between many types of clouds.

Cumulus clouds typically are around 1,000 to 7,000ft up in the sky. Cumulus clouds develop on clear, sunny days when the sun heats the ground directly below.

There are 10 main cloud types, including the fluffy-looking cumulus clouds seen here. Image: AKARADECH MARK II / Getty Images ...

Cirrus clouds at the level of the jet stream – often about 6 miles (10 kilometers), above the ground – can sometimes move at over 200 miles per hour (320 kilometers per hour).

Clouds also form at three layers in the troposphere, the lowest section of the atmosphere. Four cloud types at three different layers gives us a total of 12 major cloud types.

Clouds play a pivotal role in the Earth's climate and weather. They form in a diversity of distinct patterns and types that can have profoundly different impacts on things such as the water cycle ...

A research team has explored how different cloud types impact solar forecasting. The scientists explained that clouds present a great challenge to solar forecasting due to diverse and complex ...

Different types of clouds have different effects on a person’s viewing experience. When the moon completely covers the sun April 8, it will be the first total eclipse in North Texas since 1878.

Low, ragged clouds that appear beneath the main cloud base. Formed from moist air lifted by outflow winds from a storm. Often mistaken for tornadoes, but they are typically harmless, indicating ...

A scientist explains the different cloud types and how they help forecast weather By Ross Lazear, University at Albany, State University of New YorkUpdatedMarch 3, 2025 7:04 a.m.