Clouds form when air becomes cold enough to form water droplets or ice crystals. There are many different types of cloud, but it is often difficult to tell which are which because they are constantly changing.
Clouds are described using Latin names using some of these Latin words...

• Cirrus: a lock of curly hair.
• Cumulus: a heap or pile.
• Stratus: a layer.
• Nimbus: rain-bearing.

By combining these, and using the prefix -alto for mid-level clouds, we can describe most of clouds that we see.

Here are some of the different types of clouds:

• Low level clouds
  • Nimbostratus
• Mid level clouds
  • Altocumulus
  • Stratocumulus
• High Level clouds
  • CirroStratus
  • Cirrus
• Vertically developed clouds
  • Fair weather cumulus
  • Cumulonimbus
• Other cloud types
  • Vapour trails
  • Billow clouds
  • Mammatus
  • Orographic
  • Pileus

The Latin names do not classify enough variety of different types of cloud for research purposes and so there is a further, more detailed cloud classifications, see cloud type codes.