High Clouds - Cirrus (Ci)

High clouds are comprised largely of ice

Cloud-base heights for high clouds:

Tropical Region Middle Latitudes Polar Regions
6-18 km 5-13 km 3-8 km
  • Cirrus Clouds - high, thin wispy clouds up at jet stream level in the upper troposphere
  • They are almost always comprised of ice
  • associated with fair weather
Photo by N. Atkins