15. Types of Clouds

Luke Howard, an English biologist, was the first to classify clouds in 1803. He used Latin names which are still in vogue. Clouds are usually classified on the basis of altitude, shape, expanse, density, colour, transparency, opaqueness, moisture content, etc. They exist at various elevations from the sea level to about 20 km above the sea level. There are three basic groups depending upon the height and shape of clouds. These are the cirrus clouds, the cumulus clouds and the stratus clouds.