Cirrus cloud classification symbol: Ci is a genus of atmospheric cloud generally characterized by thin, wispy strands, giving the type its name from the Latin word cirrus , meaning a ringlet or curling lock of hair. The strands of cloud sometimes appear in tufts of a distinctive form referred to by the common name of "mares' tails". From the surface of Earth, cirrus typically appears white, or a light grey in color. It also forms from the outflow of tropical cyclones or the anvils of cumulonimbus clouds.

How do cirrus clouds form?


Definition: High-altitude, thin, and wispy cloud streaks composed of ice crystals
All clouds are made up of basically the same thing: water droplets or ice crystals that float in the sky. But all clouds look a little bit different from one another, and sometimes these differences can help us predict a change in the weather. Cirrus clouds are delicate, feathery clouds that are made mostly of ice crystals. Their wispy shape comes from wind currents which twist and spread the ice crystals into strands. Weather prediction: A change is on its way! Cirrostratus clouds are thin, white clouds that cover the whole sky like a veil. These clouds are most commonly seen in the winter, and can cause the appearance of a halo around the sun or the moon. Weather prediction: Rain or snow will arrive within 24 hours! Cirrocumulus clouds are thin, sometimes patchy, sheet-like clouds. Weather prediction: Fair, but cold.
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All high clouds are a type of cirrus, a common cloud that can be seen at any time of the year. Cirrus clouds are short, detached, hair-like clouds found at high altitudes. These delicate clouds are wispy, with a silky sheen, or look like tufts of hair. In the daytime, they are whiter than any other cloud in the sky. While the Sun is setting or rising, they may take on the colours of the sunset. Cirrus clouds form from the ascent of dry air, making the small quantity of water vapour in the air undergo deposition into ice to change from a gas directly into a solid.
Clouds What are clouds? A cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals. The droplets are so small and light that they can float in the air.