What Are Low Fog-Like Clouds Called?

Stratus Clouds

• Stratus clouds are the lowest type of cloud, appearing at altitudes of 0 to 2,000 meters (6,560 feet). They form on warm fronts in large, dark gray, mottled formations that often cover the entire sky. They also form when a fog cloud lifts. Stratus clouds often give way to form nimobostratus clouds.

Nimbostratus Clouds

• Nimbostratus clouds are rain clouds (the prefix "nimbo-" means "rain-forming") formed after a warm front covers a region with stratus clouds. They typically produce a light rainfall lasting for several hours. Like stratus clouds, they cover the entire sky with a dark gray, uniform blanket. Nimbostratus clouds are multilevel clouds that can reach an elevation of up to 10,000 feet, or nearly 2 miles high.

Stratocumulus clouds

• Stratocumulus clouds are the third and final type of low cloud formations. They are distinguished from stratus and nimbostratus by the presence of gaps between individual clouds that allow the sky to be seen. These clouds may merge together to make a formation very similar in appearance to stratus clouds. They are found at a higher elevation, however, and are flatter than stratus clouds, which have more of a vertical dimension than stratocumulus clouds but less than nimbostratus clouds.

Fog

• A fog cloud is a stratus cloud that forms at or very near the surface of the Earth. Fog clouds are typically born in bodies of water then roll over into nearby land regions. Fog clouds form when the relative humidity at the Earth's surface is very near 100 percent. When the humidity reaches 100 percent, fog clouds produce drizzle.