Definition
A descriptive term applied to clouds that appear in ragged, broken, irregular shreds rather than as a coherent mass. Fractus is used as a modifier with two cloud types: cumulus fractus (ragged cumulus) and stratus fractus (ragged stratus), often forming in unstable air or beneath precipitating cloud layers.
Plain English
A weather word for clouds that look torn or shredded instead of forming neat, solid shapes.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation weather study and visual weather checks when a pilot is identifying low, ragged cloud fragments around the airport or along a route.
Derivation
From the Latin fractus, meaning 'broken' (the past participle of frangere, 'to break'). It signals the visual character of the cloud — broken-looking — which is exactly what the pilot sees in the sky.
Why Pilots Care
Signals strong surface winds or turbulence that can affect takeoff, landing, and low-level flight.
Analogy
Fractus clouds can look like torn pieces of cotton drifting below a larger cloud.
Intuition Check
Do not read fractus as a separate storm type. It describes the ragged, broken shape of cloud pieces.
Example Sentence 1
Ragged stratus fractus drifted below the main cloud deck, lowering the ceiling along the approach path.
Example Sentence 2
The pilot noted fractus formations below the overcast and elected a higher approach to avoid turbulence.