Key facts
- Abbreviation
- Ns
- Genus
- Nimbostratus ( rain, layered )
- Altitude
- 500–5,500 m, (2,000–18,000 ft)
- Appearance
- Dark and featureless layer cloud full of water vapor; responsible for rain and snow
- Precipitation
- Yes: rain , ice pellets , or snow ; sometimes virga
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
A nimbostratus cloud is a multilevel, amorphous, nearly uniform, and often dark-grey cloud that usually produces continuous rain, snow, or sleet, but no lightning or thunder.
Although it is usually a low-based stratiform cloud, it actually forms most commonly in the middle level of the troposphere and then spreads vertically into the low and high levels. Nimbostratus usually produces precipitation over a wide area.