Stratocumulus castellanus or Stratocumulus castellatus[1] is a type of stratocumulus cloud, castellanus is derived from Latin, meaning 'of a castle' This type of cloud appears as cumuliform turrets vertically rising from a common horizontal cloud base, these turrets are taller than they are wide[2]
| Stratocumulus castellanus | |
|---|---|
 Stratocumulus castellanus, with various turrets of very small size and one of a larger size | |
| Abbreviation | Sc cas |
| Symbol |  |
| Genus | Stratocumulus |
| Species | Castellanus |
| Altitude | Above 2,000 m (Above 6,560 ft) |
| Appearance | small turrets |
| Precipitation | Virga, and sometimes light rain |
This type of cloud indicates an increasingly unstable atmosphere,[3] and seeing this type of cloud in the morning usually means that there is a possibility of thunderstorms forming later in the afternoon[4] In the right conditions, these clouds can grow into cumulus congestus clouds, and sometimes, into cumulonimbus clouds[5]
References
edit- ^ "Appendix 3 - History of cloud nomenclature".
- ^ "Stratocumulus castellanus (Sc cas) | International Cloud Atlas". 2021-09-19. Archived from the original on 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- ^ World Meteorological Organization (1975). Manual on the observation of clouds and other meteors. Internet Archive. Geneva : Secretariat of the World Meteorological Organization. ISBN 978-92-63-10407-6.
- ^ "Castellanus Clouds: Rising Towers, Turrets | WhatsThisCloud". 2021-11-02. Archived from the original on 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
- ^ "Stratocumulus castellanus (Sc cas) | International Cloud Atlas". 2021-09-19. Archived from the original on 2021-09-19. Retrieved 2021-11-02.