Cirrus clouds are formed at a higher altitude then stratus clouds. They look as if someone took a cloud, stretched it, pulling pieces off, like a cotton ball when it is pulled apart. Cirrus clouds are often seen during fair weather. Cirrus clouds have a distinct look relative to the other nine cloud types. They are commonly known as "mare's tails" because they are shaped like the tail of a horse. They are up so high they are actually made of ice particles. They are characterized by uniform layers of grayish clouds. Stratus clouds are formed by weak, gentle upward air currents that lift large layers of air high enough to produce condensation.
Some of them are grey and uniform. Stratus cloud layers are generally thin but cover the entire sky, known as overcast. These clouds can mean an overcast day or steady rain. Cirrus clouds have actually been spotted as well! Stratus clouds are formed by weak, gentle upward air currents that lift large layers of air high enough to produce condensation.
In fact, thin cirrus clouds may contribute to net warming by absorbing the earth's thermal radiation, but thick cirrus clouds may contribute to net cooling by reflecting solar radiation. Cirrus clouds are the thin, wispy clouds seen high in the sky. They are composed of ice and are thin, wispy clouds blown in high winds into long streamers. Because cirrus clouds are made of ice crystals, they look different than your typical puffy cloud shape, and can take on a number of different forms that resemble spider webs, fish skeletons, mares’ tail, or hair-like commas. Cirrus clouds are high feathery clouds. When cirrus clouds appear in a very puffy form, they are known as cirrocumulus clouds, while transparent sheets of cirrus which stretch across large chunks of the sky are known as cirrostratus. They may stay in one place for several days. Fog is a form of stratus cloud that is close to the Earth's surface.
stratus clouds can look like fog. Cirrus duplicatus forms stacked layers of cloud which may be linked by strands which pass between the layers, and cirrus Kelvin-Helmholtz forms distinctive spiral patterns in the sky. Cirrus is made up completely of ice crystals, which provides their white colour and form in a wide range of shapes and sizes.
Cirrus clouds are formed at about 8,000 m. Stratus clouds are formed under 2,000m. Often, you’ll some places simply class clouds as cirrus, stratus, and cumulus because these clouds are the most common and representative for each altitude class. Cirrus clouds are wispy, feathery, and composed entirely of ice crystals. high clouds are cirrus, cirrostratus, and cirrocumulus. Unlike cirrus, cirrostratus clouds form more of a widespread, veil-like layer (similar to what stratus clouds do in low levels).