altostratus

American  

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

noun

Meteorology.

plural

altostratus

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).

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altostratus British  

/ -ˈstrɑː-, ˌæltəʊˈstreɪtəs /

noun

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

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altostratus Scientific  

/ ăl′tō-străt′əs /

plural

altostrati

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

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Etymology

Origin of altostratus

First recorded in 1890–95; alto- + stratus

Example Sentences

Whereas crepuscular rays headlined Tuesday’s sunrise, Monday’s sunrise presented more texture and variety as the sun’s rays intercepted a mix of cloud types — stratus, altostratus, stratocumulus and cirrus.

From Washington Post • Oct. 5, 2021

Cueva stepped up to take it himself, and his attempt is still collecting vapor from the altostratus clouds floating thousands of feet above Mordovia Arena.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2018

A complete layer of altostratus clouds will usually indicate warm days, and high-flying cirrus clouds with little mass can also signal fair weather.

From Time Magazine Archive

Although there are infinite shapes a cloud can take, the common classification system includes 10 types: cumulonimbus, cumulus, stratus, stratocumulus, nimbostratus, altostratus, altocumulus, cirrostratus, cirrocumulus and cirrus.

From Time Magazine Archive