Altocumulus appears in patches, rolls or rounded elements, often with both white and grey areas. The WMO gives most regularly arranged small elements an apparent width of one to five degrees. That distinction helps separate it from finer cirrocumulus and broader stratocumulus.
The photograph includes both tufted and more layered altocumulus. Follow a repeated group rather than an isolated irregular puff. This type belongs in a beginner guide because it teaches you to compare cloudlets within the same sky view. Avoid turning a camera zoom setting into an altitude measurement.
Photo: GerritR · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and recompressed; image retains its source license.
