What kind of clouds are these (tissue-thin mid-altitude)?

[RussR]

On a flight a few days ago at 15,000, I came across these clouds. Not the obvious cumulous ones, but the tissue-paper thin ones in the middle of the frame. They literally looked to be just a few inches thick. They were beautiful and I ended up flying through some a little bit later.

 

[Rushie]

Altostratus?

 

[X3 Skier]

Chem Trails. You’ll be feeling the effect soon.

Cheers

 

[bflynn]

Stratus. Maybe alto stratus depending on how high up you see them.

I have always been told that stratus is a thin cloud, whereas altostratus can be thousands of feet thick.

 

[Tantalum]

On a flight a few days ago at 15,000, I came across these clouds. Not the obvious cumulous ones, but the tissue-paper thin ones in the middle of the frame. They literally looked to be just a few inches thick. They were beautiful and I ended up flying through some a little bit later.

No idea, they are pretty though and yeah they look to be just a few inches thick at most.. I "passed through" one on descent into Bakersfield a few years ago and yeah, it's razor thin... cool wing by the way, 421C?

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Wannabe clouds.

 

[catmandu]

Wafferthinculus.

Bring me a bucket.

 

[Kritchlow]

In all honesty… does it matter?

 

[RussR]

cool wing by the way, 421C?

Yes.

Stratus. Maybe alto stratus depending on how high up you see them.

Right at my altitude of 15,000.

In all honesty… does it matter?

Of course it matters to someone who is curious about science and nature and the environment we operate in. I am interested in how they form, that it is clearly a different set of conditions than the cumulus cloud right next to them. If I knew what they are called, I could research it and find out. If you really aren't curious about the things we see when flying, well... I don't know what to say.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”
― Albert Einstein

 

[bflynn]

Sorry, I missed the 15k indicator.

Stratus clouds form either when cirrus clouds descend to "alto" levels or by a stable air mass rising until temp=dew point, at which point clouds form. If you're VFR, you should be aware of them because it's likely that the area around the stratus cloud is on the verge of forming more stratus clouds. If at your altitude, they could indicate that clouds might form all around you. If you're above them, you could be blocked from descending. Otherwise, they are part of a stable air mass, so that should indicate a smooth ride.

 

[RussR]

Sorry, I missed the 15k indicator.

Stratus clouds form either when cirrus clouds descend to "alto" levels or by a stable air mass rising until temp=dew point, at which point clouds form. If you're VFR, you should be aware of them because it's likely that the area around the stratus cloud is on the verge of forming more stratus clouds. If at your altitude, they could indicate that clouds might form all around you. If you're above them, you could be blocked from descending. Otherwise, they are part of a stable air mass, so that should indicate a smooth ride.

See, that's why I am so intrigued by them. The cumulus clouds indicate instability, but right next to them are those cirrus-type clouds, which seem to imply stability.

 

[EdFred]

If you're above them, you could be blocked from descending.

He's at 15,000 though...think about it.

 

[bflynn]

Cumulus clouds with a flat base and little vertical development indicate stable air. It isn't until air masses become unstable that towering cumulus clouds form.

I'd say what you have is probably mature cumulus clouds, but it still looks pretty stable. Flying through them might get a little bumpy, but I wouldn't expect anything big.