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High-level Clouds
"Cirro-," the Latin word for "curl", is the prefix used to name the types of clouds that form beyond 20,000 feet above the ground. All three varieties of thin, white high-level clouds are made of ice crystals, but they differ in appearance. Cirrus clouds look like feathery white wisps in the sky, while cirrostratus clouds spread out into a wider, transparent layer. The third type of high-level cloud, cirrocumulus clouds, appear layered and lumpy.
Mid-level Clouds
Mid-level clouds have bases that form between 6,500 and 20,000 feet, and their names begin with the prefix "alto-". Altostratus clouds form in flat layers, and while they occasionally produce sprinkles, they usually don't generate precipitation. Altocumulus clouds have a lumpy, cumulus-like appearance, and they can form in rows. Both types of clouds are can be composed entirely of either liquid or frozen water droplets, or can contain a mixture of both.
Low-level Clouds
"Stratus" and "cumulus" clouds are usually composed of liquid water droplets, and occur below 6,500 feet. Stratus clouds are flat and grey, while nimbostratus clouds are denser and cause steady precipitation. Cumulus clouds look like fluffy heaps, while stratocumulus cloud formations are a combination of stratus layers and cumulus clouds. During winter storms, ice crystals and snow can make up much of the bulk of these low-level clouds.
Vertically Developing Clouds
Some clouds can span between 6,500 feet and 20,000 feet, and because of their vertical range, they can't be classified in the high, middle, or low categories. A cumulus congestus cloud, or towering cumulus, is a cloud that has grown to a significant height, but has not produced a thunderstorm, while cumulonimbus clouds are the result of atmospheric instability, and produce lightning, thunder, and heavy rain.