High Clouds

Cirrocumulus clouds are part of the high cloud group. When cirrocumulus clouds look like this picture, it is called a "mackerel sky" because the clouds look like the scales on a mackerel fish.
Courtesy University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

The high cloud group consists of Cirrus, Cirrostratus, and Cirrocumulus clouds. High clouds are made of ice crystals due to the cold air in the upper sky. The base of a high cloud above the surface can be anywhere from 6000-18000m in the tropics to 3000-8000m in the polar regions.

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Last modified September 24, 2007 by Becca Hatheway.
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High Clouds

Cirrocumulus clouds are part of the high cloud group. When cirrocumulus clouds look like this picture, it is called a "mackerel sky" because the clouds look like the scales on a mackerel fish.Courtesy University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Cirrocumulus clouds are part of the high cloud group. When cirrocumulus clouds look like this picture, it is called a "mackerel sky" because the clouds look like the scales on a mackerel fish.
Courtesy University Corporation for Atmospheric Research