0 a type of flat, grey cloud found at the lowest level, below all other cloud types, and causing dull weather or light rain --
Onshore winds in spring and early summer bring mists or low stratus clouds (known locally as sea frets) to the coasts and moors.
Ragged stratus often forms in precipitation while more uniform stratus forms in maritime or other moist stable air mass conditions.
The low, sharp temperature inversion can lead to areas of persistent stratocumulus or stratus cloud, known in colloquial terms as anticyclonic gloom.
Due to cold air drainage, the river valley is often completely filled with stratus and fog while outside the valley is clear.
Fractonimbus are a form of stratus fractus, developing under precipitation clouds due to turbulent air movement.
In the volume for 1842 he described an aurora which was situated between himself and lofty stratus clouds.
More specifically, the term "stratus" is used to describe flat, hazy, featureless clouds of low altitude varying in color from dark gray to nearly white.
Like stratus clouds, they form at low levels; but like cumulus clouds, they form via convection.
