ASK THE METEOROLOGIST
“What is the maximum altitude of a cirrus cloud?”
Will, Mr. Ward’s class, St. Mary’s School
Cirrus clouds are those high thin wispy clouds, seen high up in the sky. They get their name from cirro, the root word that means hair curl. Because they are so high in the sky they are composed of ice crystals.
The altitude of cirrus clouds varies, depending on the climate. The cooler the atmosphere, the lower these clouds will be found and the warmer the atmosphere, the higher these clouds will be found. This is because the atmosphere is much higher in tropical climates and to get cooler temperatures (to form ice crystals that make up these clouds) you must go higher up in the atmosphere.
With that being said, in polar environments cirrus clouds can be found above 12,000.’ In a temperate region, or in other words the middle latitudes where we live, cirrus clouds are seen above 23,000.’ The closer you are to the equator, once you start entering tropical regions …cirrus clouds can be above 25,000′ and as high as 50,000!’