Stratus usually presents a grey layer with a fairly even base, though it can break into ragged patches. It may produce drizzle. The large smooth overhead area in this photograph is the feature to study; the clearing horizon adds other textures.
Its value is the contrast with lumpy stratocumulus. Ask whether you see a broad underside or repeated rounded elements. Photograph the edge of the layer as well as its centre: that makes a more useful observation record than a frame filled only with grey. One patch of blue does not identify the whole sky.
Photo: John Robert McPherson · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and recompressed; image retains its source license.
