Stratus nebulosus

Stratus nebulosus
Stratus nebulosus
Abbreviation	St
Symbol
Genus	Stratus (layered)
Species	Nebulosus
Variety	Opacus Translucidus Undulatus
Altitude	0–2000 m (0–7,000 ft)
Classification	Family C (Low-level)
Appearance	Full of vapor, lacking detail, Gray, featureless low-altitude cloud capable of ground contact.
Precipitation	Uncommon Drizzle, freezing drizzle, Snow or snow grains^[1]

Stratus nebulosus is a species of low-level stratus cloud. It is one of only two species that is associated with stratus clouds, other being fractus. Translated from Latin meaning nebulous, their cloud abbreviations can be respectively written as ‘St neb’. For a cloud to be classified as nebulosus, there has to be zero sign of detail in the cloud.

Low-level fog is an example of stratus nebulosus. Its usual appearance is a sheet of gray sitting above the ground. Very dense fog can be classified as stratus nebulosus opacus, which translates to a stratus cloud that has no detail and is dark enough to block out sunlight. Stratus nebulosus clouds are commonly paired with cloud varieties opacus (opaque) and translucidus (see-through) and can produce precipitation (praecipitatio) on occasion.

The nebulosus cloud species is common, and more commonly found in stratus cloud formations relative to cirrostratus clouds.

References

^ "Tabular guide: Genus".

Cloud genera and selected species, supplementary features, and other airborne hydrometeors - WMO Latin terminology except where indicated

Mesospheric

Extreme-level
80–85 km

Noctilucent (NLC) Polar mesospheric clouds	Noctilucent type I veils Noctilucent type II bands Noctilucent type III billows Noctilucent type IV whirls

Stratospheric

Very high-level
15–30 km

Nacreous polar stratospheric clouds (PSC)	Cirriform nacreous Lenticular nacreous
Nitric acid and water polar stratospheric clouds (PSC)	No differentiated sub-types; tends to resemble cirrostratus

Tropospheric

High-level
3–18 km

Cirrus (Ci)

Species	Cirrus castellanus (Ci cas) Cirrus fibratus (Ci fib) Cirrus floccus (Ci flo) Cirrus spissatus (Ci spa) Cirrus uncinus (Ci unc)
Ci-only varieties	Cirrus intortus (Ci in) Cirrus vertebratus (Ci ve)

Cirrocumulus (Cc)

Species	Cirrocumulus castellanus (Cc cas) Cirrocumulus floccus (Cc flo) Cirrocumulus lenticularis (Cc len) Cirrocumulus stratiformis (Cc str)

Cirrostratus (Cs)

Species	Cirrostratus fibratus (Cs fib) Cirrostratus nebulosus (Cs neb)

High-level-only
mutatus cloud

Mutatus non-height specific (see below)

Medium-level
2–8 km

Altocumulus (Ac)

Species	Altocumulus castellanus (Ac cas) Altocumulus floccus (Ac flo) Altocumulus lenticularis (Ac len) Altocumulus stratiformis (Ac str) Altocumulus volutus (Ac vol)

Altostratus (As)

Altostratus undulatus

Nimbostratus (Ns)
Multi-level

Varieties	Nimbostratus virga (Ns vir)

Low-level
0–2 km

Cumulonimbus (Cb)
Towering vertical

Species	Cumulonimbus calvus (Cb cal) Cumulonimbus capillatus (Cb cap)
Cb-only supplementary features	Cumulonimbus cauda ((cau) Tail cloud) Cumulonimbus incus (inc) Cumulonimbus murus ((mur) Wall cloud)
Cb-only accessories and other	Cumulonimbus flumen ((Cb flu) Beaver tail) Overshooting top Hot tower

Cumulus (Cu)
Variable vertical extent

Species	Fractus Cumulus humilis (Cu hum) Cumulus mediocris (Cu med) (Cumulus congestus (Cu con) (Cumulus castellanus (unofficial alternative name for Cu con)) (ICAO term for Cu con and "Cu cas" is Towering cumulus [Tcu]))
Other	Horseshoe Trade wind cumulus

Stratus (St)

Species	Stratus fractus (St fra) Stratus nebulosus (St neb)
St-only genitus cloud and other	Stratus silvagenitus (St sil) Fog (Fg) Surface level

Stratocumulus (Sc)

Species	Stratocumulus castellanus (Sc cas) Stratocumulus floccus (Sc flo) Stratocumulus lenticularis (Sc len) Stratocumulus stratiformis (Sc str) Stratocumulus Undulatus Stratocumulus volutus (Sc vol)

Low-level-only
supplementary features

Arcus ((arc) Shelf)
Tuba ((tub) Funnel cloud)

Low-level-only
accessory cloud and other

Pileus (pil)
Velum (vel)
Pannus (pan)
Other- Actinoform cloud (Stratocumulus)

Non-height
specific

Varieties	Duplicatus (du) Lacunosus (la) Opacus (op) Perlucidus (pe) Radiatus (ra) Translucidus (tr) Undulatus (un)
Supplementary features	Asperitas (asp) Cavum (cav) Fluctus (flu) Mamma (mam) Praecipitatio (pra) Virga (vir)
Mother clouds and human-made clouds	(Mother cloud)+genitus (e.g. cumulogenitus (cugen) (Mother cloud)+mutatus (e.g. cumulomutatus (cumut) Homogenitus (hogen) Homomutatus (homut)