A nimbostratus cloud is characterized by a formless cloud layer that is almost uniformly dark gray. "Nimbo" is from the Latin word "nimbus", which denotes precipitation. It is generally a stratiform cloud of moderate vertical development (family D1) that produces precipitation, developing cloud bases between the surface and about 10000 ft (3000 m). This cloud typically forms from altostratus in the middle altitude range then subsides into the low altitude range during precipitation. Nimbostratus usually has a thickness of about 2000 m. Though found worldwide, nimbostratus is found more commonly in the middle latitudes.
Famous quotes containing the word cloud:
“Hast ‘ou fashioned so airy a mood
To draw up leaf from the root?
Hast ‘ou found a cloud so light
As seemed neither mist nor shade?”
—Ezra Pound (1885–1972)