altostratus

American  

[al-toh-strey-tuhs, -strat-uhs] / ˌæl toʊˈstreɪ təs, -ˈstræt əs /

noun

Meteorology.

1. a cloud of a class characterized by a generally uniform gray sheet or layer, lighter in color than nimbostratus and darker than cirrostratus: of medium altitude, about 8000–20,000 feet (2450–6100 meters).

---

altostratus British  

/ -ˈstrɑː-, ˌæltəʊˈstreɪtəs /

noun

1. a layer cloud at an intermediate height of about 2400 to 6000 metres (8000 to 20 000 feet)

---

altostratus Scientific  

/ ăl′tō-străt′əs /

altostrati plural

1. A mid-altitude cloud that extends in flat, smooth sheets or layers of varying thickness. Altostratus clouds generally form between 2,000 and 6,100 m (6,560 and 20,000 ft) and often produce long, steady rain showers.

2. See illustration at cloud

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• altostratus
  plural

Etymology

Origin of altostratus

First recorded in 1890–95; alto- + stratus