Cirrus

Latin Translation 

Cirrus = “a bird’s tuft” 

Height  

Between 16,500 to 45,000ft (~ 5000 to 13,700 metres) in mid-latitudes. 

Cirrus clouds are very thin, wispy or feathery. They are bright white, as they’re made of ice crystals rather than water droplets.

About 

Cirrus cloud is a high-altitude cloud, usually above 5000 metres in Aotearoa New Zealand (higher than Aoraki / Mount Cook). It is one of three in the high-level cloud family group in the troposphere and is so high that is formed entirely of ice crystals, giving it a bright white feathery appearance.  

How do they form? 

When water vapour reaches the upper troposphere, it gets extremely cold and the water vapour turns straight into ice crystals (a scientific process known as deposition). These ice crystals make up cirrus cloud. These clouds are shaped by the strong winds high in the atmosphere.  

How to spot them? 

Cirrus cloud has a white feathery look. It generally looks like long fragile strands, patches, or narrow bands. One type of cirrus that has a hooklike shape is commonly referred to as mares’ tails.