Accessory cloud
Encyclopedia
An accessory cloud is a cloud
which is dependent on a larger cloud system for its development and continuance. It is often an appendage but also can be adjacent to the parent cloud system.
The arcus cloud
s, roll clouds and shelf clouds, wall cloud
s, and scud are examples of low level accessory clouds whilst the anvil, pileus
, overshooting top
, and mammatus are examples of high level accessory clouds. The condensation funnel of funnel cloud
s and tornado
es are also accessory clouds.
Cloud
A cloud is a visible mass of liquid droplets or frozen crystals made of water and/or various chemicals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of a planetary body. They are also known as aerosols. Clouds in Earth's atmosphere are studied in the cloud physics branch of meteorology...
which is dependent on a larger cloud system for its development and continuance. It is often an appendage but also can be adjacent to the parent cloud system.
The arcus cloud
Arcus cloud
An arcus cloud is a low, horizontal cloud formation. Roll clouds and shelf clouds are the two types of arcus clouds. A shelf cloud is usually associated with the leading edge of thunderstorm outflow; roll clouds are usually formed by outflows of cold air from sea breezes or cold fronts in the...
s, roll clouds and shelf clouds, wall cloud
Wall cloud
A wall cloud is a large, lowering, and rotating base of a cumulonimbus cloud that potentially forms tornadoes. It is typically beneath the rain-free base portion of a deep cumulus cloud , and indicates the area of primary and strongest updraft which condenses into cloud at altitudes lower than...
s, and scud are examples of low level accessory clouds whilst the anvil, pileus
Pileus (meteorology)
A pileus , also called scarf cloud or cap cloud, is a small, horizontal cloud that can appear above a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud, giving the parent cloud a characteristic "hoodlike" appearance. Pilei tend to change shape rapidly. They are formed by strong updrafts acting upon moist air at lower...
, overshooting top
Overshooting top
An overshooting top is a dome-like protrusion that shoots out of the top of the anvil of a thunderstorm. When an overshooting top is present for 10 minutes or longer, it is a strong indication that the thunderstorm may be severe....
, and mammatus are examples of high level accessory clouds. The condensation funnel of funnel cloud
Funnel cloud
A funnel cloud is a funnel-shaped cloud of condensed water droplets, associated with a rotating column of wind and extending from the base of a cloud but not reaching the ground or a water surface. A funnel cloud is usually visible as a cone-shaped or needle like protuberance from the main cloud...
s and tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es are also accessory clouds.