Announcing Our Cloud Types Ebook

Hey cloudspotting friends! Today we’re excited to launch something we’ve been working on the past several months, a cloud types ebook titled ‘The Complete Guide to the Different Types of Clouds and How to Identify Them’.

It’s an 80+ page guide that discusses the basics of learning the ten cloud types and dedicates a number of pages to each type of cloud. Best of all, the ebook is available to download for free. You can get a copy of the ebook emailed to you by going here:

https://whatsthiscloud.com/ebook/

The guide is an extension of our website and includes the following.

Our best hand-picked photographs. Over the past several years, we’ve been taking a lot of pictures of clouds. The photos that have been chosen for the ebook are the best examples of each cloud type that we could find. There are over 40 original photographs included.

Cloud type descriptions. A summary of each cloud type is provided, describing best how each cloud can be identified.

Several cloud facts. Some facts about each cloud including its cloud level and altitude, Latin translation, abbreviation, and more.

Comparing similar cloud types. Can’t tell if the cloud you’re looking at is altocumulus or cirrocumulus? We’ve included some updated pointers to help you make the distinction from one cloud type to the next.

An introduction to cloud subtypes. Did you know there are 34 subtypes that can be used to further classify a cloud? Beyond the ten cloud types, there are fifteen cloud species, nine cloud varieties, eleven supplementary features, four accessory clouds, and five other kinds of clouds.

This ebook offers an introduction to the various subtypes that are associated with each cloud type. If the concept of cloud subtypes is new to you and you’re learning about this for the first time, we’ve designed a cloud identification chart that can help you visualize all cloud types and subtypes in a single infographic.

There are a handful of cloud identification handbooks that can be purchased on Amazon. We’ve pretty much bought them all. A select few are great, but we’ve found that many of them are either outdated, wordy, have black and white photographs, or simply inaccurate. Our hopes are that this ebook is visually appealing, concise, accurate, and fun to read.

Cloud Identification Posters by WhatsThisCloud

Howdy cloudspotting friends! Our journey of building a website and other accompanying resources to help make cloud identification a more fun and accessible hobby is always a work in progress, but today we’re announcing an exciting milestone. We’re happy to bring you the release of three cloud identification posters that we’ve designed and can be purchased through our shop along with some updates and improvements to the functionality of our website.

Introducing Our Cloud Identification Posters

Over the past several months, we’ve been conceptualizing, designing, and with the help of our local print shop, printing three cloud identification posters which are now ready to be introduced to you below.

The Six Steps to Cloud Classification

‘The Six Steps to Cloud Classification’ poster, listed in our shop as the cloud classification poster, is a 24×36 print that contains all 126 cloud type and subtype illustrations that you’ve seen on our website or Instagram account. The print is organized, laid out, and color-coded in such a way that will make it easy to compare the differences between cloud types, species, varieties, etc.

The Cloud Identification Chart

‘The Cloud Identification Chart’ poster, listed in our shop as the cloud identification poster, is an 18×24 print that contains and infographic and information about each cloud type. The poster is then accompanied by a chart that organizes and displays what cloud types are paired with which subtype.

The Ten Different Types of Clouds

‘The Ten Different Types of Clouds’ poster, listed in our shop as the cloud types poster, is a 36×24 print that highlights the ten main cloud types. This poster was designed specifically as an educational piece and as an introduction to the fundamentals of cloud identification.

Free Shipping, BOGO Deal, & 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

We love clouds as much as we love delivering a great product and experience. We’d love nothing more than to see the walls of your home, classroom, and office decorated with clouds. As we announce the updated website and shop, we’re super excited and proud to offer the following:

Free Shipping. Free 3-5 day shipping in the United States and the option to upgrade to priority mail (1-3 day) for $7.95. We’re also offering $14.95 flat rate to Canada and $19.95 flat rate international shipping.

Buy 1, Get 2nd 50% Off. If you go to purchase a second poster, you’ll receive a 50% discount on that second poster. Both posters will be well-packaged together and shipped with care.

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. This goes back to the fact that we love to deliver a great product and experience. If you’re not happy with your order for any reason, we’re not happy either! The three designs outlined below have all been printed professionally on durable, high-quality matte paper and are packaged with love. Order with the comfort knowing that your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed.

If you’re interested in learning more, you can check out all the details of each poster on our shop.

A WhatsThisCloud.com Website Renovation

Over the past handful of months, efforts were put into the our website to provide you with a better experience. So we’re finally happy to announce the relaunch of the new WhatsThisCloud website. Below are some highlights of what’s changed.

Redesign. The website now has a much more appealing look from top to bottom. Maybe you’ve already noticed it isn’t as clunky as it used to be. There have also been improvements made to several resources such as our cloud identification guide as well as the downloadable cloud identification chart.

Improved navigation. It should be easier to find your way around the site, especially from your phone. Maybe you’re reading this from your phone or iPad now. Hopefully that’s the case!

Updated images. Every cloud type, species, variety, supplementary feature, accessory, and other kind of cloud has its own unique page, which means 54 individual pages. Each page has on average four example photographs as well as illustrations and other information relating to the cloud being featured.

Shop addition. As discussed above, we’re excited to release a new shop where you can purchase items relating to cloud identification. Woo!

What’s Next? You Help Us Decide!

There are many topics and ideas out there that we’ll be addressing that pertains to cloud identification. Some of those include creating content and products pertaining to:

• Cloud identification flashcards

• Cloud identification mobile app

• ‘Cloudspotting for kids’ resources

• Online guizzes, games, and worksheets

• More content (blog posts, cloudspotting resources, image library updates, etc.)

If you have several minutes to spare, we’d love to hear more about your cloudspotting experience and where we can help! Filling out this 10 question survey would be extremely helpful for us. All questions are optional… any advice you offer is appreciated.

Fill out the survey here ✍️

Want to be part of a wonderful community chock full of other cloudspotters, weather enthusiasts, teachers, and aviation enthusiasts? Would you like to practice your cloud identification skills? Follow us on Instagram. In the coming weeks we’ll be doing several Q&As around cloudspotting, running some giveaways, and discussing the direction of What’s This Cloud. We’d love for you to participate and hear your thoughts and feedback.

Of course, you’re always able to contact us directly. Email me directly at greg@whatsthiscloud.com or DM us on Instagram or Twitter. We’d love to hear from you! Until then, keep your heads up in the clouds… cheers, friends! ⛅️

A Complete Cloud Identification & Cloudspotting Guide

Earlier this year, we introduced the concept of What’s This Cloud. It was around that time the first parts of the website were being pieced together and our Instagram account was still a work in progress. Today, we’re officially launching the website as a complete cloud identification and cloudspotting guide.

In this post, you’ll learn about how the site has been organized and how it can be used to make your cloud identification and cloudspotting adventures more knowledgeable and enjoyable.

The What’s This Cloud Website

First, a page has been created for each of the ten cloud types. If you’re new to cloud identification, you might be best to learn about the ten cloud types: cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus, altocumulus, altostratus, nimbostratus, cumulonimbus, cumulus, stratus, and stratocumulus.

Each cloud type page has a short description, several photographs, and a handful of facts and characteristics of each cloud. You’ll also find illustrations of the variations of each cloud which links you to that specific cloud’s page describing it in further detail. On the bottom of the page, you’ll learn about similar cloud types and how to differentiate one cloud type from the next in a side by side comparison.

If you’d like to go beyond the ten cloud types, introduce yourself to the different cloud species, cloud varieties, supplementary features, accessory clouds, and the remaining five miscellaneous clouds. Each of these pages provide a short description, several photographs, and cloud illustrations describing what cloud types are associated with each cloud species, variety, etc.

As you page through the site, you’ll notice all pages are linked to one another through their cloud illustrations and the occasional link in each cloud’s description. The website can also be navigated through the top menu as well as a footer that acts as a cloud directory. Knowing that you’ll want help identifying clouds out in the field, the website is also optimized for mobile devices so it can be used easily on the go. Consider it a pocket guide for cloud identification. ?

Finally, the following two content pieces have been created to tie the entire site together:

Cloud Identification Guide. We’ve created a comprehensive cloud identification guide which will help you learn everything you need to know about cloud identification and classification. It’s a document that walks you through the hobby of cloudspotting and gives you some instructions on how to best get started. Several cloud classification examples are provided at the bottom of the page as well.

Cloud Identification Chart. We’ve also created a cloud identification chart and poster that can be downloaded as a PDF and taken with you on the go. It’s a one-sheet infographic intended to be used to learn about not only the ten main cloud types, but help you visualize different cloud species, varieties, features, and accessories that can be attributed to each cloud type on one page.

The What’s This Cloud Instagram Account

The key to your cloud identification skills is practice. To improve your skills, we’ve set up an Instagram account where we post an array of cloud photos four to five times a week that describe how the cloud has been classified. Each photo includes associated cloud illustrations and a short description.

Additionally, every cloud that’s posted can be investigated further through our account’s URL, where a page has been set up that details how you can better identify each cloud, and links you to each cloud’s associated page on our site.

We’re hopeful you’ll find this is a great place to practice your cloud identification skills in a friendly environment. Come join us! ?

Cloud Illustrations

Last but not least, you’ll notice a theme throughout the website and Instagram account: cloud illustrations. For every orange cloud icon that can be found on the cloud identification chart, a cloud illustration has been created.

As a visual learner, this is something that I had personally wished was available when I started learning about the different kinds of clouds and how to decipher one cloud from the next. I’m hopeful these will help you quickly pick up the differences from one cloud to the next and make cloud identification more understandable.

Got 5 Minutes? A Cloud Questionnaire

We hope to continue to build this site out to be as helpful as possible, and perhaps create other products relating to cloud identification and weather. I personally fell into the hobby of cloudspotting and cloud identification when I started chasing storms on a whim in eastern Colorado five years ago. Now, we want to hear more about how you’ve come to love weather and clouds in particular.

If you have 5 minutes to spare, we’d love to hear more about your cloudspotting experience. Filling out this 10 question survey would be extremely helpful for us. All questions are optional… any advice you offer is appreciated.

Fill out the survey here: https://goo.gl/forms/sxby4YmOxf6pSVax2

Of course you’re always welcome to send us an email or leave a comment below. For updates to our website, sign up for an email list through the form on the bottom of any page on our website if you’d prefer. Cheers, friends… thanks for reading!

An Introduction to What’s This Cloud

Today, I’m excited to introduce a project I’ve begun working on the last several months: What’s This Cloud. It’s a website, supported by several social media accounts, that is dedicated to helping everyday weather hobbyists, cloud enthusiasts, and sky watchers of all ages learn to identify and classify all different types of clouds. And to share the love of clouds in general. ⛅

Below, you’ll be introduced to myself and my fascination with clouds, how this project started, and what you might expect further down the road from us.

A Weather-obsessed, Cloud-loving Lad

Hello. I’m Greg. ? Since as long as I could remember, I’ve always had a fascination with weather. In elementary school, when a thunderstorm would roll through our neck of the woods, out would come my parent’s JVC GR-C1 camcorder. I would shove it out my bedroom window, hoping to be at the right place at the right time to catch a lightning bolt striking something in the vicinity of where I was filming.

At the end of the day though, I’ve always been just a guy that really (really) likes weather. I don’t have a formal education in meteorology. When deciding between majors in school, I chose to study business management over earth and atmospheric sciences. But that has never stopped my passion for weather.

In 2011, I moved to beautiful Boulder, CO from Atlanta, GA. Upon arriving from the east coast, it didn’t take long to see that the weather here was… different. I became familiar with terms like lenticular cloud and chinook winds. I found myself spending more and more of my afternoon breaks on the top of the nearby five-story parking deck, watching the sky filled with different cloud formations. Formations that would be hard to come by on the east coast.

It was only a few short years after moving here that I realized eastern Colorado was on the western edge of tornado alley. In 2014, armed with an iPhone 5S and a dash cam, I went on my first storm chase. While I only got a small taste that day, I was hooked.

An Introduction to Cloud Identification

After my first chase, I started gathering any informational resource that was available relating to weather, particularly severe weather, to better prepare for future storm chases. It was around this time I got a GoPro HERO4 action cam. I quickly discovered time-lapse mode, and realized if you pointed the camera up for an hour, recorded cloud formations, and watched the video afterwards, you could watch the sky come alive. It was enthralling.

It was around this time when I read in a book that “altocumulus castellanus clouds in the vicinity were a sign of instability”.

“Huh… altocumulus castellanus” I thought. ? I had unknowingly stumbled into the subject of cloud classifications. I knew that there were 10 different types of clouds, but wasn’t aware clouds had species, varieties, and features. Fascinated, I dove in head first.

There are a handful of books on the subject of cloud identification. I bought them all. But a fair bit of the material that I came across was either outdated or written from the point of view of a meteorologist, making it difficult to understand. But I managed around it. And little by little, I slowly become more proficient at cloud classification.

To help my obsession, I created spreadsheets to organize different cloud types. Flash cards were created to help study clouds. I started creating graphics that allowed me to better visualize the difference between cloud types and species. I got more into the local weather scene in Boulder, taking a SKYWARN storm spotting class. And I opened up a weather-related Twitter and Instagram accounts (@thecoloradosky) as an outlet for my passion for weather and clouds. I was neck deep in clouds and weather, and loving it.

The Start of a Cloud Computing Company

Last year, I left the Boulder-based business I was working for. It was a company I had started with some college friends. We worked hard for those 7 years, and admittedly, I was burnt out when I left. I wanted to take some time off and give myself some time to think about what’s next, and moved back to the east coast.

Over the past several months though, I kept coming back to my love and fascination of weather, and in particular, clouds. To keep my design skills fresh, I took it upon to create a few cloud graphics and cloud identification charts. I created a few items out of a personal need to better help with my cloud identification obsession and thought “hmm… I wonder if anyone else would find use out of what I’m creating”.

That was a few months ago, and that’s how What’s This Cloud was born. It’s now May of 2018 and I’m finally excited to show the world what we’ve been working on.

What’s This Cloud: To Infinity and Beyond ?

As of today, our website is mainly dedicated to the 10 main cloud types, but will be expanded upon over time. You can expect for What’s This Cloud to bring the hobby of weather to the everyday individual through great design, engagement, and community. That’s the primary goal.

The website will be supported with content relating to cloud identification and weather. It’ll also be social media supported through Twitter and Instagram. We’ll also dive into Reddit and Flickr to share our love and passion of clouds in the upcoming months.

But this is just the start and there’s more to come on the horizon. If you have any questions, comments, or just want to share your excitement, your messages will be received with open arms. Please don’t hesitate to message us on Twitter or Instagram or alternatively, shoot me an email at greg@whatsthiscloud.com. I’d love to hear from you and talk weather.

Looking forward to sharing our mutual love and passion of clouds and weather with you. ⛅