0 a thick grey cloud which forms at a low level, from which rain or snow often falls -- chmura warstwowadeszczowa
Stratiform precipitation falls out of nimbostratus clouds.
It retains the same features as a normal nimbostratus cloud; dark in appearance, low to medium level cloud of moderate vertical development and made up of sheets.
The cloud layer achieves significant vertical extent as it lowers and changes into nimbostratus.
Lightning from an embedded cumulonimbus cloud may interact with the nimbostratus but only in the immediate area around it.
Downward-growing nimbostratus can be as thick as most upward-growing vertical cumulus, but its horizontal extent tends to be even greater.
The occurrence of cumulonimbus and nimbostratus together is uncommon, and usually only nimbostratus is found at a warm front.
Of the latter, "upward-growing" cumulus mediocris produces only isolated light showers, while "downward growing" nimbostratus is capable of heavier, more extensive precipitation.
Nimbostratus can have multiple associations as low, middle, or multi-tage depending on the criteria used by various authorities.
