Editing Cirrocumulus cloud (section)

==Appearance==
[[File:Highcloudsymbols.gif|thumb|300px|High cloud weather map symbols]]
Cirrocumulus is a cloud of the ''stratocumuliform'' physical category that shows both stratiform and cumuliform characteristics and typically appears as white, patchy sheets with ripples or tufts without gray shading.<ref name="Cirrocumulus">{{cite book |editor=World Meteorological Organization |title=Cirrocumulus, International Cloud Atlas |volume=I |year=1975 |url=https://archive.org/details/manualonobservat00worl/page/27 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/manualonobservat00worl/page/27 27–29] |isbn=92-63-10407-7 |access-date=26 August 2014 }}</ref> Each cloudlet appears no larger than a finger held at arm's length.<ref name="gpp"/>  These often are organized in rows like other cumuliform and stratocumuliform clouds, but since they are so small, cirrocumulus patches take on a finer appearance, sometimes also referred to colloquially as "herringbone" or as a "[[mackerel sky]]".<ref name="ahrens-120">{{cite book |last=Ahrens |first=C. Donald |title=Meteorology Today: an Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment |date=February 2006 |publisher=Brooks Cole |isbn=978-0-495-01162-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SpGfKb23Y9QC&pg=PA120 |edition=8 |access-date=6 February 2011 |page=120 |format=eBook}}</ref>  Cirrocumulus is coded C<sub>H</sub>9 for the main genus-type and all subforms.

Cirrocumulus is distinguished from [[altocumulus]] in several ways, although the two stratocumuliform genus types can occasionally occur together with no clear demarcation between them. Cirrocumulus generally occur at higher altitudes than altocumulus, thus the "cloudlets" appear smaller, as they are more distant from observation at ground level. They are also colder. Cirrocumulus clouds never cast self-shadows and are translucent to a certain degree. They are also typically found amongst other cirrus clouds in the sky and are usually themselves seen to be transforming into these other types of cirrus.<ref name="gpp"/> This often occurs at the leading edge of a warm front, where many types of cirriform clouds can be present.

[[Image: Cirrocumulus Clouds July 2010.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Cirrocumulus clouds on a summer afternoon]]
Cirrocumulus clouds tend to reflect the red and yellow colours during a sunset and sunrise, so they have been referred to as "one of the most beautiful clouds".<ref name="ahrens-120"/><ref name="usatoday-cumulus">{{cite web |last=Palmer |first=Chad |title=Cumulus clouds |url=https://www.usatoday.com/weather/wcumulus.htm |publisher=USA Today |access-date=6 February 2011 |date=October 16, 2005}}</ref> This occurs because they reflect the unscattered rays of light from the early morning or evening sun, and those rays are yellow, orange, red, and sometimes purple.<ref name="ahrens-98">{{cite book |last=Ahrens |first=C. Donald |title=Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the Atmosphere |url=https://archive.org/details/essentialsofmete00cdon |url-access=registration |publisher=Brooks Cole |isbn=978-0-495-11558-8 |date=January 2007 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/essentialsofmete00cdon/page/97 97]–99 |edition=5}}</ref>