(こうせきうん)

こうせきうん
noun
altocumulus cloud
1. altocumulus cloud
A mid-altitude cloud type made up of white or gray patches and rolls, often arranged in regular groups. Popularly called ひつじ(ぐも) (sheep clouds) for their woolly appearance.
(そら)高積雲(こうせきうん)(ひろ)がる。
Altocumulus clouds spread across the sky.
高積雲(こうせきうん)()ると天気(てんき)(くず)れやすい。
When altocumulus clouds appear, the weather tends to turn.
夕方(ゆうがた)(ひつじ)()れのような高積雲(こうせきうん)茜色(あかねいろ)()まった。
In the evening, altocumulus clouds like a flock of sheep were dyed crimson.

A mid-level cloud (the 積雲(せきうん) "cumulus" family at (こう) "high" altitude) made of small white or gray masses. Their appearance is often read as a sign of changing weather.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 高積雲(こうせきうん)()る: altocumulus clouds appear
  • ひつじ(ぐも): sheep clouds — the everyday nickname for 高積雲(こうせきうん)

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 積乱雲(せきらんうん): cumulonimbus — towering thunderclouds
  • 巻積雲(けんせきうん): cirrocumulus — similar ripples but much higher and finer