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nimbostratus

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nimbostratus

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Also known as nimbostratus cloud, Ns

genus of clouds

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

Wikidata facts

Image
Ns1.jpg
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Commons category
Nimbostratus clouds
Commons gallery
Nimbostratus
short name
Ns.
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~7 min read

Encyclopedic overview

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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “nimbostratus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (2)