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nimbostratus
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Illustration showing ten cloud types at different altitudes above the ground: cirrus, cirrocumulus, and cirrostratus at high elevations; altocumulus and altostratus at mid-levels; nimbostratus, stratocumulus, stratus, cumulus, and the towering cumulonimbus clouds at lower to very high elevations, with a plane for scale.
Explore what happens when cold and warm air masses collide
Learn about the four main types of clouds formed at different altitudes
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nimbostratus

meteorology
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Illustration showing ten cloud types at different altitudes above the ground: cirrus, cirrocumulus, and cirrostratus at high elevations; altocumulus and altostratus at mid-levels; nimbostratus, stratocumulus, stratus, cumulus, and the towering cumulonimbus clouds at lower to very high elevations, with a plane for scale.
cloud types Different types of clouds form at different heights.

Nimbostratus clouds are a low, dark layer of gray cloud that typically produces light, continuous rain or snow. These clouds are classified as stratiform clouds, meaning they form as saturated air is mechanically forced upward and remains colder than the surrounding clear air at the same height. Nimbostratus clouds extend through a large fraction of the troposphere and are characterized by precipitation. They are distinct from nimbus clouds, which are associated with violent storms.123

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4 Britannica Sources
  1. nimbostratus
  2. What Does a stratocumulus Cloud Look Like?
  3. atmosphere - Cloud formation within the troposphere
  4. climate - Cloud types

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