Types of Rain Clouds
Altocumulus (From Latin Altus, "high", cumulus, "heaped") is a middle-altitude cloud genus that belongs mainly to the stratocumuliform physical category 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.
Altostratus is formed by the lifting of a large mostly stable air mass that causes invisible water vapor to condense into cloud. It can produce light precipitation, often in the form of virga. If the precipitation increases in persistence and intensity, the altostratus cloud may thicken into nimbostratus.
May form ahead of a frontal system, especially together with other cirriform clouds meaning rain in around 10 hours. Cirrocumulus is one of the three main genus-types of high-altitude tropospheric clouds, the other two being cirrus and cirrostratus.
Cirrostratus is a member of the ten fundamental cloud types (or cloud genera). Cirrostratus are high-level clouds, appearing as a thin hazy, uniform and featureless whitish and smooth veil. Cirrostratus are darker than cirrus and are always thin enough for the high Sun to cast shadows.
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. This cloud can form at any altitude between 16,500 ft (5.0 km) and 45,000 ft (14 km) above sea level. The strands of cloud sometimes appear in tufts of a distinctive form referred to by the common name of "mares' tails".
Towering cumulonimbus clouds are typically accompanied by smaller cumulus clouds. The cumulonimbus base may extend several miles across and occupy low to middle altitudes - formed at altitude from approximately 200 to 4,000 m (700 to 10,000 ft).
Cumulus clouds are often precursors of other types of clouds, such as cumulonimbus, when influenced by weather factors such as instability, moisture, and temperature gradient. Normally, cumulus clouds produce little or no precipitation, but they can grow into the precipitation-bearing congestus or cumulonimbus clouds.
Stratocumulus Perlucidus is a layer of stratocumulus clouds with small spaces, appearing in irregular pattern, through which clear sky or higher clouds can be seen. Stratocumulus Translucidus consist of separate groups of stratocumulus clouds, with a clear sky (or higher clouds) visible between them.
A stratus cloud can form from stratocumulus spreading ... cirrostratus clouds become thicker and descend forming altostratus clouds, and rain usually begins 12 to 24 ...