part of has quality has member composed primarily of object aggregate water droplet nimbostratus cloud Ns envoAtmo Nimbostratus-Wolke Regen-schichtwolke A cloud which 1) occurs in the form of a layer, 2) is composed of water droplets (sometimes supercooled) and raindrops, or snow crystals and snowflakes, or of a mixture of these liquid and solid particles, 3) is located in the middle level of the atmosphere (middle étage). Low, ragged clouds frequently occur below the nimbostratus layer, with which they may or may not merge. When well-illuminated by sunlight (excluding during sunrise and sunset) nimbostratus clouds appear grey, often dark grey in colour. Nimbostratus clouds usually have no discernible base. Nimbostratus generally covers a wide area and is of great vertical extent. Nimbostratus is diffused by more or less continuously falling rain or snow or ice pellets, which in most cases reaches the ground. Sometimes nimbostratus clouds have the appearance of being illuminated from the inside. Nimbostratus is almost always found in the middle level, but it usually extends into the other two levels. Nimbostratus is thick enough throughout to blot out the local star. envoCloudAtlas water-based cloud middle atmospheric level supercooled water droplet snow crystal laminar