Cloud spotting guide

Clouds come in ten main types, from the fluffy cumulus to the wispy cirrus with flat, grey stratus in between.

Different cloud types occur at different heights in the atmosphere: high (cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus), medium (altocumulus, altostratus, nimbostratus) and low (cumulus, stratocumulus, stratus), except cumulonimbus which wants to be different, so stretches all the way up!

Can you spot all ten cloud types? You can share your pictures or get in touch to find out what you’ve spotted.


If you want to keep our cloud spotting guide handy, get in touch and we’ll send you a pocket sized edition – or here is a print ready version.