All clouds are made up of basically the same thing: water droplets or ice crystals that float in the sky. But all clouds look a little bit different from one another, and sometimes these differences can help us predict a change in the weather.
Here’s a list of some of the most common cloud types you might spot in the sky:
High Clouds (16,500-45,000 feet)
Cirrus

Cirrus clouds are delicate, feathery clouds that are made mostly of ice crystals. Their wispy shape comes from wind currents which twist and spread the ice crystals into strands.
Weather prediction: A change is on its way!
Mid-level Clouds (6,500-23,000 feet)
Altocumulus

Altocumulus clouds have several patchy white or gray layers, and seem to be made up of many small rows of fluffy ripples. They are lower than cirrus clouds, but still quite high. They are made of liquid water, but they don’t often produce rain.
Weather prediction: Fair
Low Clouds (less than 6,500 feet)
Cumulus

Cumulus clouds look like fluffy, white cotton balls in the sky. They are beautiful in sunsets, and their varying sizes and shapes can make them fun to observe!
Weather prediction: Fair
Special Clouds
Contrails

Contrails are made by high-flying jet airplanes. They are still clouds, though, because they are made of water droplets condensed from the water vapor in the exhaust of the jet engines.
Weather prediction: Contrails can provide information about the layers of moisture in the sky.
Mammatus clouds

Mammatus clouds are actually altocumulus, cirrus, cumulonimbus, or other types of clouds that have these pouch-like shapes hanging out of the bottom. The pouches are created when cold air within the cloud sinks down toward the Earth.
Weather prediction: Severe weather might be on its way!
Orographic clouds

Orographic clouds get their shape from mountains or hills that force the air to move over or around them. They can also be formed by sea breezes and often appear as lines where two air masses meet.
Weather prediction: An early sign that the conditions might be right to form afternoon thunderstorms!
The GOES-16 (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16) satellite can watch clouds with a new instrument called the Advanced Baseline Imager, or ABI for short. Scientists have found that rapid growth and cooling at the tops of clouds are indicators of the potential for severe weather. The ABI can show more detailed changes in cloud-top features, helping scientists assess the potential size and severity of a storm even before it reaches its peak!
Scientists use data from GOES-R series satellites, along with data from NASA's CloudSat Mission to study cloud properties.