A principal, low-level cloud type in the form of a gray layer with a rather uniform base, usually not associated with precipitation, and capable of producing corona phenomena and a weak, uniform luminance; abbreviated St
a cloud of a class characterized by a gray, horizontal layer with a uniform base, found at a lower altitude than altostratus, usually below 8000 ft (2400 m)
One of the three basic cloud forms (the others are cirrus and cumulus) It is also one of the two low cloud types It is a sheetlike cloud that does not exhibit individual elements, and is, perhaps, the most common of all low clouds Thick and gray, it is seen in low, uniform layers and rarely extends higher than 5,000 feet above the earth's surface A veil of stratus may give the sky a hazy appearance Fog may form from a stratus cloud that touches the ground Although it can produce drizzle or snow, it rarely produces heavy precipitation Clouds producing heavy precipitation may exist above a layer of stratus
A principal low-level cloud type in the form of a gray layer with a rather uniform base Stratus does not usually produce precipitation, but when it does occur, it is in the form of minute particles, such as drizzle, ice crystals, or snow grains Stratus often occurs in the form of ragged patches or cloud fragments in which case rapid transformation is a common characteristic When the sun is seen through the cloud, its outline is clearly discernible, and it may be accompanied by corona phenomena In the immediate area of the solar disk, stratus may appear very white Away from the sun, and at times when the cloud is sufficiently thick to obscure it, stratus gives off a weak, uniform luminance
n clouds with a flat layer and a uniform base In mountains, these clouds are responsible for fog Not a very dense cloud; usually the sun can be seen through them
One of the three basic cloud forms the others are cirrus and cumulus It is also one of the two low cloud types It is a sheetlike cloud that does not exhibit individual elements, and is, perhaps, the most common of all low clouds Thick and gray, it is seen in low, uniform layers and rarely extends higher than 5,000 feet above the earth's surface A veil of stratus may give the sky a hazy appearance Fog may form from a stratus cloud that touches the ground Although it can produce drizzle or snow, it rarely produces heavy precipitation Clouds producing heavy precipitation may exist above a layer of stratus