The Eerie Shapes of Clouds

Photographed a number of years ago, this eerie image of what appears to be a face in the clouds emerged.  Do you see it?  It was shot July 11, 2006 and it is indeed pretty spooky.  Clouds are amazing structures in the sky and if you look long and hard enough, you can see just about anything.  When you break it down, there is actually several different shapes and categories of clouds. Here is a breakdown of some of the standouts!

One of the most well known of cloud formations is called Cumulus clouds.  They often appear as large white cotton balls with a puffy and fresh looking structure.  They almost always point to great weather in the area.

Then there is the Cumulonimbus cloud and it the clouds we instinctively associate with an approach storm since they are massive in their appearance and dominate the entire sky, almost like a fearsome approaching army.

The next cloud formation is the Stratus cloud which are flat and opaque.  Many think of them as rather boring looking clouds with a tinge of grey as the sometimes signal a little rain.

One of the more depressing looking formations is the Nimbostratus clouds because you can be assured that a constant rain drizzle will accompany the day.  The Nimbus word comes from Latin and of course means rain.

One of my favorites is the Cirrus clouds which can be found very high in our atmosphere. They are the artistic looking clouds that have a wispy appearance.  While they are beautiful to look at with their streaking appearance, they also can give us a heads up on the winds up high in the sky and what might be around the corner weather wise.

There is also a cloud known as a blanket cloud which is grey to white in appearance and hang around on those dry, but cloudy days.  It is called Stratocumulus.