Clouds outside Leslie's studio door.

This cloud formation is called Fog. It is right on the ground and can be very thick. Fog hugs the ground and follows the ups and downs of the terrrain.

These are Cirrus clouds; they are high, at 35,000 feet, and made of ice crystals. Cirrus are wispy clouds that look like hair or a pony's tail blowing in the winds. In fact they are termed mare's tails because they look like the tail streaming behind a running horse.

These are Cumulus clouds. They form in the warm air of sunny days. They generally indicate "fair - weather" but if there is enough heat and humidity they can grow into the cumulonimbus or "thundercloud" which generates wind and rain and violent storm activity. Both of these photos were taken late in the day as the sun was setting.

These are Cirrocumulus or maybe Cirrostratus clouds. They are found at about 25,000 feet. You can see the combination of both forms here with the wispy streams of clouds and some of the cumulus pattern of puffy cloud shape also.

These are Stratocumulus clouds. These are groups of clouds with dark rounded masses that can "morph" into rain clouds.

Altocumulus clouds are found at medium altitude. They are clouds with puffy bottoms that appear rippled or rolled. This is a very early morning picture .

I am not exactly sure what type of clouds these really are. This was taken early one morning after a few days of rain and mist so I think they are Stratocumulus clouds lit by the red warm glow of the rising sun.

The photos above have shown some of the cloud patterns which we have seen just outside Leslie's studio door. The patterns vary daily and are always beautiful and subtle in their variations. What do the clouds look like outside your door? Take a look, take some pictures and see if you can identify the types of clouds in your area.

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