Stratocumulus (Sc)
Sc castellanus
Sc lenticularis
Sc stratiformis virga
Sc opacus praecipitatio
Orographic Sc
Sc undulatus
Overview

 


Stratocumulus opacus praecipitation


ScOpacus.jpg and ScOpacus2.jpg:
A rare case of Stratocumulus opacus praecipitatio is shown here, which leads to strong precipitation (a shower) from a relatively small cloud layer. When the falling stripes would not have reached the ground, it would have been the more usual type called "Virga". The line of vision runs from "Front Range" of the Rocky Mountains in north-easterly direction to the "Plains".

ScOpacus3.jpg and ScOpacus4.jpg
The more common case, where light rain showers derive from a dense, widely spread layer of Cumulus clouds is presented here. Here only the edge of the cloud layer can be noticed. The part of the cloud cover which completely covers the sky is behind the photographer.

ScOpacus1.jpg, ScOpacus2.jpg: S. Borrmann, Boulder, Colorado, summer 1993

ScOpacus3.jpg, ScOpacus4.jpg: R. Weigel, S. Borrmann, Forli, Northern Italy, APE-Infra Field Campaign, October 2002