Take the next step in becoming an expert cloudspotter. This course, which follows on from our course How to Spot the Ten Main Clouds, consists of 4 x 20-minute videos, each with quiz questions to help embed your learning. It will teach you how to recognise and identify all of the many species and varieties of cloud. You can think of these as subdivisions of the ten main types of cloud. Some relate to the particular cloud shapes, some to patterns in the elements of a cloud, among other characteristics.
Learning the species and varieties can help you understand the hidden movements of winds in our atmosphere and can, in some cases, help you forecast the weather in store.
On finishing this course and passing the cloudspotting quizzes you will be able to download your own Cloud Appreciation Society course completion certificate.
A useful resource to refer to throughout this course is the Cloud Classification Summary table in the International Cloud Atlas, published by the World Meteorological Organisation. It gives an overview of which cloud Supplementary Features and which Accessory Clouds are associated with each of the ten main cloud types (also know as Genera).
Cloud Classification Summary table of the International Cloud Atlas
You can also find photographs of the cloud types mentioned on the Cloud Appreciation Society Cloud Photo Gallery, using the Filter button at the top to select the type you want to see.
