Stratus fractus

STRATUS FRACTUS
Stratus clouds that appear in irregular fragments, as if they had been shred or torn. Also appears in cumulus clouds (called cumulus fractus), but not in cirrus clouds.

stratus fractus—See fractus.
streamline—In meteorology, a line whose tangent is the wind direction at any point along the line. A flowline.
sublimation—See change of state.

SCUD Low fragments of clouds, usually stratus fractus, that are unattached and below a layer of higher clouds, either nimbostratus or cumulonimbus.

Scud Ragged low clouds, usually stratus fractus. Most often applied when such clouds are moving rapidly beneath a layer of nimbostratus.

STFRStratus FractusSTGStrongStilling basinIn hydrologic terms, a basin constructed to dissipate the energy of fast-flowing water (e.g., from a spillway or bottom outlet), and to protect the streambed from erosion.

Stratus often occurs in the form of ragged patches, or cloud fragments (stratus fractus), in which case rapid transformation is a common characteristic. Stratus clouds have characteristically low vertical velocities, usually less than 1 m s-1.

fractostratus"(Obsolete.) See fractus, stratus fractus.
fractus"A cloud species in which the cloud elements are irregular but generally small in size, and that presents a ragged, shredded appearance, as if torn.

Scud - The common name for stratus fractus clouds. They are small, ragged, low cloud fragments that are not attached to a larger cloud base (such as the base of a thunderstorm).

TCU Stratus Fractus...........STFRA Nimbostratus..............NS Stratocumulus.............SC Stratus...................ST
Coalescence Process: The process by which water droplts falling collied (Coalescence) and grow larger.

Fractostratus - Layered but shredded clouds - also known as stratus fractus.
Lenticular cloud - Smooth lens shape to the cloud and often seen downwind from mountains. For example, alto cumulus standing lenticularis (ACSL).

Related terms: cumulus fractus and stratus fractus
FREEZING DRIZZLE
Drizzle, falling as a liquid, but freezing on impact with the colder ground or other exposed surfaces. It is reported as "FZDZ" in an observation and on the METAR.

CUMULUS FRACTUS Cumulus clouds that appear in irregular fragments, as if they had been shred or torn. Also appears in stratus clouds (called stratus fractus), but not in cirrus clouds.

See also: Cloud, Stratus, Fractus, Clouds, Layer