Earth:Stratocumulus castellanus cloud

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Short description: Mid-level cloud that indicates unstable air
Stratocumulus castellanus
Stratocumulus castellanus 3oct.jpg
Stratocumulus castellanus, with various turrets of very small size and one of a larger size
AbbreviationSc cas
SymbolStratocumulus.svg
GenusStratocumulus
SpeciesCastellanus
AltitudeAbove 2,000 m
(Above 6,560 ft)
Appearancesmall turrets
Precipitation cloud?Virga, and sometimes light rain

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]

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]

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