Cirrocumuli are often inconspicuous and overlooked, both because it is thin, and also because the individual cloud elements are small. More over they are more distant than the similar lower clouds, altocumulus and stratocumulus. In fact, there is a relationship among these three cloud genera: the thicker the cloud elements and cloud layer, the higher the cloud. Sheets of cirrocumuli are often very thin, always transparent and extremely low in contrast and difficult to see against the sky. Sun or moon are always visible and objects on the ground still cast shadows. Cirrocumulus elements normally show no shading, in contrast do the darker shading thicker, lower altocumulus.

Cirrocumulus are composed of highly supercooled water droplets (which tend to be converted into ice crystals very rapidly), ice crystals, or a mixture of both. The even-sized cloud particles may produce coronae and iridescence around the Sun or Moon.

Cirrocumulus form by shallow convection within thin labile layers of air, or by lee-effect lifting. Thickening of cirrus might form cirrocumulus occasionally. More frequently they arise from a layer of cirrostratus, or decaying altocumulus.