Nimbostratus cloud

Nimbostratus cloud
Nimbostratus with pannus
AbbreviationNs
Symbol
GenusNimbostratus (rain, layered)
Altitude500–5,500 m
(2,000–18,000 ft)
AppearanceDark and featureless layer cloud full of water vapor; responsible for rain and snow
PrecipitationYes: rain, ice pellets, or snow; sometimes virga

A nimbostratus cloud is a multilevel, amorphous, nearly uniform, and often dark-grey cloud that usually produces continuous rain, snow, or sleet, but no lightning or thunder.[1][2][3]

Although it is usually a low-based stratiform cloud, it actually forms most commonly in the middle level of the troposphere and then spreads vertically into the low and high levels. Nimbostratus usually produces precipitation over a wide area.

The prefix nimbo- comes from the Latin word nimbus, which denotes "dark cloud".

Downward-growing nimbostratus can have the same vertical extent as most large upward-growing cumulus, but its horizontal expanse tends to be even greater.

  1. ^ "cloud". Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press – via The Free Dictionary.
  2. ^ "nimbostratus". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins.
  3. ^ Nimbostratus in the Oxford Dictionaries Online.