Gershon Iskowitz

Clouds are formed at the low or STRATUS level, the middle or ALTO level, and high or CIRRO level of the troposphere. Clouds are named by identifying the atmospheric region in which they are seen, and by the form of the cloud. For example, bunchy CUMULUS clouds that look enormous and close are called STRATOCUMULUS. If they appear higher in the sky, like a spread of cotton balls, you can call them ALTOCUMULUS. When they are even higher and farther away, and seem like grains of rice, they are called CIRROCUMULUS.