Cirrus Uncinus

Cirrus Uncinus

We were all amazed by this wonderful display of clouds overhead.  It was early evening and we'd just finished our evening meal outside on our patio - this is a rare thing to do in the British summers over recent years!  You can also spot a Contrail (a condensation trail) from an aircraft which passed over earlier on.  The feathery edges of this display was stunning.  See below for others taken shortly before; even on calm days with little wind the high level clouds can still move around quite briskly.

Cirrus Uncinus

Mid summer Cirrus Uncinus

Just a small example of these clouds which are always a welcome sight.  These are high level clouds at 20,000 feet or more and a sign of good sunny weather, with plenty of high pressure.  They are actually composed of ice crystals way up there and picked up by the wind; the longer the wispy trail, the stronger the wind.

Taken today, 14th July in the middle of a very warm and sunny spell of weather.  Also spotted today:

Yes, I know the photograph below is not of some clouds as such.  It was taken in a woodland area on the top of a hill shrouded in low cloud.  So it is, sort of, a picture of a cloud - a nice misty scene early in the morning while it was still quite cool.  Gradually the sun warmed up and the low level cloud melted away, leading to the pictures above during the afternoon.

Cirrus

Some high altitude Cirrus clouds above London and without much cloud activity as such.  Unless you count the condensation trails from aircraft having flown over sometime earlier in the afternoon.

The Shard is claimed to be the tallest building in Western Europe at 310 metres; 1016 feet.  Photographed here while still under construction it is clearly a dramatic addition to the London skyline and will provide a mixture of commercial and residential accommodation.  I can only imagine the stunning views from the upper floors, unless they are shrouded in cloud that is!

Cirrus

Some lovely Cirrus clouds photographed one warm, sunny afternoon in the summer while out for a bike ride with my youngest daughter.  She protested when I stopped to photograph this but the situation was fixed when I turned the camera towards her (yes, I should have done that first!).

Not too sure which variety; possibly Cirrus floccus.

Cirrus

I'm sure this is a Cirrus cloud but not too sure which variety.  Cirrus clouds are always lovely to see as a sign of pleasant weather and can be at around 20,000ft.

Lower down there is (what appears to be) a string of Cumulus mediocris; a low hanging cloud which is sometimes grouped together by the wind.  Otherwise earlier in the day they may have been Cumulus congests.

Cirrostratus

I think this is a straight forward Cirrostratus arrangement.  They are high level clouds and the wispiness is clearly seen against a clear blue sky.

We're looking at ice crystals forming, often ahead of an incoming depression with its lower air pressure - a sure sign of this happening is seeing these clouds grow and thicken - a sure sign of poor weather approaching.  There are variations of these clouds including Cirrocumulus which is a sure sign of approaching wet weather.

The added bonus with this photograph are the vapour condensation trails from aircraft which have passed overhead, also known as "contrails".

Cirrus fibratus

This was taken on the Mediterranean coast of Spain during a pleasant holiday at the end of October.  The weather was fine but a depression arrived during the next few days.

These are lovely high level clouds at around 20,000 feet and are gradually invading the sky because of the approaching lower pressure.  They sometimes thicken and form into thicker strands, gradually joining up.

You can see they are not alone as there are some lower level clouds creeping in on the right hand side which are possibly Cumulus.