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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/cap-stratus-layered

The word 'stratus' in a cloud name means what?

Layered, like a flat sheet across the sky.

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  1. Heaped
  2. Layered ✔
  3. Feathery

Why: Stratus clouds spread across the sky in flat, even sheets. Cumulus is the heaped kind, and cirrus is the wispy, feathery kind.

Huh, didn't know that: Low clouds, below about 6,500 feet, get no prefix; their names come from strato- or cumulo-.

The dad joke
Why was the stratus cloud so organized? It always kept things in layers.
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References

Answer: Layered. Stratus clouds spread across the sky in flat, even sheets. Cumulus is the heaped kind, and cirrus is the wispy, feathery kind.

  1. National Weather Service Louisville: Cloud Classification www.weather.gov/lmk/cloud_classification
    Strato - : layer.
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. National Weather Service Louisville: Cloud Classification www.weather.gov/lmk/cloud_classification
    Nimbo- : rain, precipitation.
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  3. National Weather Service Louisville: Cloud Classification www.weather.gov/lmk/cloud_classification
    Low-level clouds are not given a prefix, although their names are derived from "strato-" or "cumulo-"
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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