Thin/high clouds are called________ and indicate approaching________.

Thin/high clouds are called________ and indicate approaching________.

• A. Cumulus; winds
• B. Cirrus; fronts
• C. Stratus; storms
• D. Lenticular; heat fluxuations

Answer: (B)

Thin high clouds are cirrus clouds, formed high in the troposphere from ice crystals. They signal an approaching weather front because they’re carried ahead of a frontal system by upper-level winds, often giving a heads-up that weather changes are coming within the next day or so. When you spot cirrus, expect changes on the ground: winds may shift, temperatures and humidity can change, and precipitation may begin once the front arrives. In wildfire operations, this means plan for possible shifts in fire behavior and conditions as the front approaches. Cumulus clouds are puffy and indicate convection and possible showers or storms rather than a coming front. Stratus clouds are low and spread into overcast skies with steady rain or drizzle. Lenticular clouds form over mountains from atmospheric waves and don’t signify an approaching front or heat flux fluctuations.

Thin high clouds are cirrus clouds, formed high in the troposphere from ice crystals. They signal an approaching weather front because they’re carried ahead of a frontal system by upper-level winds, often giving a heads-up that weather changes are coming within the next day or so. When you spot cirrus, expect changes on the ground: winds may shift, temperatures and humidity can change, and precipitation may begin once the front arrives. In wildfire operations, this means plan for possible shifts in fire behavior and conditions as the front approaches.

Cumulus clouds are puffy and indicate convection and possible showers or storms rather than a coming front. Stratus clouds are low and spread into overcast skies with steady rain or drizzle. Lenticular clouds form over mountains from atmospheric waves and don’t signify an approaching front or heat flux fluctuations.