Which type of cloud tends to cover the sky in flat, gray layers?

Which type of cloud tends to cover the sky in flat, gray layers?

• A. Cumulus
• B. Cirrus
• C. Cumulonimbus
• D. Stratus

Answer: (D)

Clouds come in forms that reveal how air is moving and at what height. When the sky is covered by flat, gray layers that seem to blanket the whole view, that uniform sheet is stratus. These low, wide clouds spread out horizontally, creating an overcast appearance rather than the puffy shapes you’d see with fair-weather clouds. They often bring light drizzle or just a gray sky, and fog can form when they are near the ground. In contrast, puffy, heap-like clouds are cumulus and usually indicate more vertical air motion with breaks in the sky. High, thin, wispy clouds are cirrus, which don’t block the sun much and sit far above. Thunderstorm clouds are cumulonimbus—tall, dense, and often dark. So the flat, gray layering described points to stratus.

Clouds come in forms that reveal how air is moving and at what height. When the sky is covered by flat, gray layers that seem to blanket the whole view, that uniform sheet is stratus. These low, wide clouds spread out horizontally, creating an overcast appearance rather than the puffy shapes you’d see with fair-weather clouds. They often bring light drizzle or just a gray sky, and fog can form when they are near the ground.

In contrast, puffy, heap-like clouds are cumulus and usually indicate more vertical air motion with breaks in the sky. High, thin, wispy clouds are cirrus, which don’t block the sun much and sit far above. Thunderstorm clouds are cumulonimbus—tall, dense, and often dark. So the flat, gray layering described points to stratus.