On October 5th, the U.S. Postal Service will release a series of stamps representing 15 different types of clouds called Cloudscapes.
Arranged according to altitude, nine of the 10 basic cloud genera are pictured on this pane of 15 stamps.
A booklet of 23-cent Cloudscape postal-cards also will be issued.
"These cloudscapes are beautiful reminders of our ties to the larger environment we live in — an environment of air and water that sustains us all," said William Johnstone, secretary to the board of governors of the Postal agency.
Cooperating in development of the stamps were The Weather Channel, the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Service. On the back of each stamp contains a brief description of the clouds shown.
Names of the various cloud types were developed in the 19th century by Englishman Luke Howard, a chemist who also was fascinated by meteorology. He created a system for classifying clouds using Latin names.
Howard described the three most common shapes as cirrus (curl), stratus (layer) and cumulus (heap); he also defined four compound cloud forms that derive from the three primary shapes, including nimbus (rain). Other descriptive terms have since been added.
To purchase stamps online go to: www.usps.com/shop
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