Weather Fronts: Definition & Facts
- Cold fronts. Cold fronts are marked on weather maps with the symbol of a blue line of triangles/spikes (pips) pointing in the direction of travel, and are placed at the ...
- Warm fronts. ...
- Stationary fronts. ...
- Occluded fronts. ...
- Troughs. ...
What causes a weather front?
A weather front is a transition zone between two different air masses at the Earth's surface. Each air mass has unique temperature and humidity characteristics. Often there is turbulence at a front, which is the borderline where two different air masses come together. The turbulence can cause clouds and storms.
What are the 4 types of fronts?
Aug 20, 2013 · A weather front is a term used in meteorology to describe the front end or advancing edge of an air mass that will soon replace the air mass that’s over a specific region. These air masses are...
What are four things affect weather?
Diffuse front: A front across which the wind shift and temperature change are weakly defined. Divergence: Downward (subsidence) motion results. Associated with high pressure system. Diurnal: Daily, especially pertaining to daily cycles of temperature, relative humidity and wind. Drought: A period of moisture deficiency, extensive in space and time.
Do you know what a weather front is?
Gust front - the leading edge of the thunderstorm's downdraft of air as it spreads out away from the storm. It is usually felt as a change to gusty cool winds and often precedes the thunderstorm's rain by several minutes.
What is a weather front called?
Definition. Fronts are boundaries between air masses of different temperatures. Fronts are actually zones of transition, but sometimes the transition zone, called a frontal zone, can be quite sharp. The type of front depends on both the direction in which the air mass is moving and the characteristics of the air mass.
Why is it called a front in weather?
front, in meteorology, interface or transition zone between two air masses of different density and temperature; the sporadic flareups of weather along this zone, with occasional thunderstorms and electrical activity, was, to the Norwegian meteorologists who gave it its name during World War I, analogous to the ...
What are the 5 weather fronts?
The five major types of fronts (cold, warm, occluded, stationary and dry line phenomena) depend on the direction of the air mass's travel and its characteristics.Jul 20, 2018
What are the 4 types of weather fronts and explain what they are?
The type of front depends on both the direction in which the air mass is moving and the characteristics of the air mass. There are four types of fronts that will be described below: cold front, warm front, stationary front, and occluded front.Dec 12, 2021
Which front is most likely to last for days?
The denser, cold air pushes up the warm air mass approaches altocumulus. Larger rotating system called a mid-latitude which front is most likely to last for days that air mass at the front approaches tornadoes!Dec 5, 2021
What happens before a cold front?
Before the Cold Front The winds will be moving from the south to the southwest, with temperatures at the head of the cold front being warm.Nov 22, 2019
What are the 3 main fronts?
There are four basic types of fronts, and the weather associated with them varies.Cold Front. A cold front is the leading edge of a colder air mass. ... Warm Front. Warm fronts tend to move slower than cold fronts and are the leading edge of warm air moving northward. ... Stationary Front. ... Occluded Front.Feb 7, 2018
What are the 3 kinds of fronts?
There are four different types of weather fronts: cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts, and occluded fronts.Cold Front. Weather map showing a cold front. ... Warm Front. Weather map showing a warm front. ... Stationary Front. ... Occluded Front.
How do you read a weather front?
0:471:55How to Read a Weather Map - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipA line having alternating cold and warm fronts symbols is a stationary front this means there areMoreA line having alternating cold and warm fronts symbols is a stationary front this means there are two different air masses next to each other.
What do all fronts have in common?
At a front, the two air masses have different densities, based on temperature, and do not easily mix. One air mass is lifted above the other, creating a low pressure zone. If the lifted air is moist, there will be condensation and precipitation. Winds are common at a front.
What is a surface front?
Surface fronts mark the boundaries between airmasses at the Earth's surface. They usually have the following attributes: strong horizontal temperature gradient. strong horizontal moisture gradient.Apr 11, 2020
What does a cold front look like?
Cold fronts are depicted by blue line with triangles pointing in the direction of motion. Cold fronts demarcate the leading edge of a cold air mass displacing a warmer air mass. Phrases like "ahead of the front" and "behind of the front" refer to its motion.
What are the clouds that form in the warm air?
You will often see high clouds like cirrus, cirrostratus, and middle clouds like altostratus ahead of a warm front. These clouds form in the warm air that is high above the cool air. As the front passes over an area, the clouds become lower, and rain is likely. There can be thunderstorms around the warm front if the air is unstable.
Why do warm fronts move so slowly?
Warm fronts move more slowly than cold fronts because it is more difficult for the warm air to push the cold, dense air across the Earth's surface.
Why is the cold front likely to overtake the warm front?
Because cold fronts move faster, the cold front is likely to overtake the warm front. This is known as an occluded front. At an occluded front, the cold air mass from the cold front meets the cool air that was ahead of the warm front. The warm air rises as these air masses come together.
How do fronts move?
Fronts move across the Earth's surface over multiple days. The direction of movement is often guided by high winds, such as Jet Streams. Landforms like mountains can also change the path of a front. There are four different types of weather fronts: cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts, and occluded fronts.
Why do thunderstorms occur around a warm front?
There can be thunderstorms around the warm front if the air is unstable. On weather maps, the surface location of a warm front is represented by a solid red line with red, filled-in semicircles along it, like in the map on the right (B). The semicircles indicate the direction that the front is moving.
How does a cold front form?
Credit: Lisa Gardiner. A cold front forms when a cold air mass pushes into a warmer air mass. Cold fronts can produce dramatic changes in the weather. They move fast, up to twice as fast as a warm front.
How does a stationary front form?
A stationary front forms when a cold front or warm front stops moving. This happens when two masses of air are pushing against each other, but neither is powerful enough to move the other. Winds blowing parallel to the front instead of perpendicular can help it stay in place. A stationary front may stay put for days.
What is the purple line on a storm map?
This deprives the storm of its energy source, and so it ultimately dies. Occluded frontal passages are usually marked gusty winds and bouts of heavy rain, perhaps even thunderstorms. They are marked on the weather map by a purple line with alternating half-circles and triangles pointing in their direction of travel.
How do warm fronts work?
Warm fronts are marked on weather maps with a red line of half circles pointing in the direction of travel and mark the edge of an advancing warm air mass; a flow of warmer air that overtakes and replaces colder air. They are usually found on the east side of low-pressure storm systems. Since the cold air is denser than the warm air, the cold air hugs the ground. The lighter warm air slides up and over the cold air (called “overrunning”) and lacks any direct push on the cold air. Thus, the cold air is slow to retreat in the rapid advance of the warm air. This slowness of the cold air to retreat produces an atmospheric slope that is more gradual than the sharper slope that accompanies a cold front.
What is a trough on a weather chart?
Unlike fronts, there is no universal symbol for a trough on a weather chart. In the United States, for instance, a trough is delineated by a black dashed line. In Great Britain, it is depicted by a bold line extending from a low pressure system, while in Australia it’s a dotted line.
How fast does a warm front move?
Warm fronts are seldom as well marked as cold fronts, and they usually move about half as fast, at about 10 to 15 mph, and sometimes even slower. This is why precipitation associated with warm fronts is, generally speaking, of a long duration.
What are stationary fronts?
Stationary fronts are depicted by alternating red half-circles and blue spikes (pips) pointing in opposite directions, indicating no significant movement. When neither air mass is replacing the other, the frontal boundary becomes more-or-less stationary; the opposing forces exerted by adjacent air masses of different densities are such that the frontal surface between them shows little or no movement (sometimes also referred to as a “quasi-stationary” front). In such cases, the surface winds tend to blow parallel to the frontal zone. The resultant weather is usually low cloud cover and long duration precipitation, and not much in the way of wind.
What is the metaphor for a cold front?
Another good metaphor for a cold front is that it’s like a hand plane.
What is the blue line on a weather map?
Cold fronts are marked on weather maps with the symbol of a blue line of triangles/spikes (pips) pointing in the direction of travel , and are placed at the leading edge of the cooler air mass. That cold/dense air wedges its way under the warm air out ahead of it.
What is the ultimate growth of a cumulus cloud into a mushroom shape?
Cumulonimbus: The ultimate growth of a cumulus cloud into a mushroom shape, with considerable vertical growth, usually fibrous ice crystal tops, and probably accompanied by lightning, thunder, hail and strong winds. Cut off Low: A cold low which has become displaced to south, out of the basic westerly flow.
What is the property of a steady state?
Stable: A property of the steady state of a system such that a disturbance introduced into the steady state will not increase in magnitude. Storm: In meteorology, usually refers to cyclonic storms with considerable cloud and precipitation areas. Stratiform: Descriptive of clouds of extensive horizontal development.
What is a dust devil?
Dust Devil: A small but vigorous whirlwind, usually of short duration. Extended Forecast: A forecast of general weather conditions for days 3 through 5. Fair: A weather term implying no precipitation and no extreme conditions of clouds, visibility or wind.
What is a cyclonic system?
Cyclonic: Having a sense of counter-clockwise rotation about the local vertical. Cyclone: A closed isobaric circulation in the atmosphere, with counter-clockwise rotation in the northern hemisphere. Deepening: A decrease in the central pressure of a cyclonic, or low pressure system.
What is the difference between a valley wind and a veering wind?
Valley Wind: A wind which ascends a mountain valley during the day. Ventilation Index: This is the product of the mixing height and transport wind speed, and is an indicator of dispersion potential. Veering Wind: A change in wind direction in a clockwise manner, i.e. south to southwest to west, the opposite of backing.
What is a quasi-stationary front?
Quasi-Stationary Front: A front which is stationary, or nearly so, Radiation: The process by which electromagnetic radiation is propagated through free space. Radiational Cooling: The cooling of the earth's surface suffers a net loss of heat due to terrestrial cooling.
What is the inversion line?
Inversion: An increase in temperature with height, i.e. a departure from the usual decrease of temperature with increase of altitude.
How fast does an updraft go?
The updraft fuels the storm. In an ordinary thunderstorm, air rises at 40 mph and in a severe thunderstorm speeds may reach more than 100 mph. Wall cloud - this cloud appears as an abrupt lowering of the cloud base from the relatively flat rain-free base. It is attached to a thunderstorm and may be rotating.
What is a microburst?
Microburst - A small downburst affecting an area less than 2.5 km in diameter. Precipitation shaft - a visible column of rain or hail falling from the base of the cloud. Rain-free base - the dark underside of a cloud (its base) that has no visible precipitation falling from it. This marks the updraft of a thunderstorm.
What is a funnel cloud?
It is most frequently associated with strong or severe thunderstorms. Funnel cloud - a funnel-shaped cloud extending from a towering cumulus or thunderstorm. It is associated with a rotating column of air that has condensed to form a cloud.
What is a larger downburst?
Macroburst - A larger downburst affecting an area greater than 2.5 km in diameter. Mammatus (or mamma clouds) - these clouds appear to be hanging, rounded protuberances or pouches on the underside of the cloud. With thunderstorms, they are usually seen under the anvil and often accompany severe thunderstorms.
What is a downburst tornado?
Downburst - A sudden rush of cool air toward ground that can impact with speeds greater than 70 mph and produce damage similar to that of a tornado. It usually occurs near the leading edge of the storm or may occur in heavy rain.
What is a squall line?
Squall line - a solid line or band of active thunderstorms. Thunderstorm (cumulonimbus) - the towering cumulus cloud has continued to grow in height and width and now lightning is occurring. The storm may extend 5 to 10 miles high into the atmosphere and 5 to 25 miles across.
What is a downdraft in a storm?
Downdraft - A column of cool air that sinks toward the ground. It is most often accompanied by rain. Flanking line - A line of cumulus clouds connected to and extending outward from the most active portion of a parent cumulonimbus, usually found on the southwest (right, rear) side of a storm.
What is a thunderstorm?
A thunderstorm within which a brief period (pulse) of strong updraft occurs, during and immediately after which the storm produces a short episode of severe weather. These storms generally are not tornado producers, but often produce large hail and/or damaging winds. See overshooting top, cyclic storm.
What is blowing spray?
Blowing spray. Water droplets torn by the wind from a body of water, generally from the crests of waves, and carried up into the air in such quantities that they reduce the reported horizontal visibility to less than seven statute miles. Blustery. Descriptive term for gusty winds that accompany cold weather.
What is a short fuse warning?
A warning issued by the National Weather Service for a local weather hazard of relatively short duration. Short-fuse warnings include tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings, and flash flood warnings. Tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings typically are issued for periods of an hour or less, flash flood warnings typically for three hours or less.
What is a winter storm warning?
A warning is used for winter weather conditions posing a threat to life and property.
What is the color of lightning?
Ball lightning. A relatively rarely seen form of lightning, generally consisting of an orange or reddish ball of the order of a few cm to 30cm in diameter and of moderate luminosity, which may move up to 1 m/s horizontally with a lifetime of a second or two.
Why is ice black?
Thin, new ice that forms on fresh water or dew covered surfaces; it is common on roadways during the fall and early winter and appears "black" because of its transparency.
What is Zulu time?
The mean solar time for the meridian at Greenwich, England, used as a basis for calculating time in communications, military, aviation, maritime and other activities that cross time zones. Zulu time, which is also known as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), is used internally among people working in the field of weather and meteorology, as well as among weather enthusiasts, for weather reports and forecasts.
Which direction does the geostrophic flow point?
In quasi-geostrophic and semi-geostrophic theory, a horizontal vector which appears in the omega equation and tends to point in the direction of rising air. If#N#Q {displaystyle Q}#N#points toward warm air, the geostrophic flow is frontogenetic; if it points toward cold air, the geostrophic flow is frontolytic.
How much of the atmosphere is in the troposphere?
The troposphere contains approximately 75% of the atmosphere's total mass and 99% of its water vapor and aerosols. The average height of the troposphere above the Earth's surface varies between 6 and 18 km (3.7 and 11.2 mi) depending on latitude. trough.
What is the atmosphere?
The various layers of gases surrounding the Earth and held in place by gravity. The Earth's atmosphere is the origin of the weather phenomena studied in meteorology. Atmospheric composition, temperature, and pressure vary across a series of distinct sublayers including the troposphere and stratosphere.
What determines the size of the waves that form on the surface of a body of water?
The length of water over which a given wind blows. Fetch length and wind speed together determine the size of the waves that form on the surface of a body of water; the longer the fetch and the stronger the wind, the more wind energy is imparted to the water surface and the larger the resulting sea state. field mill.
What is radar echo?
On a radar display, the appearance of the radio signal that is scattered or reflected back from a target . The distinct characteristics of a radar echo can be used to identify the distance and velocity of the target with respect to the signal source as well as the target's size, shape, and composition.
What is the branch of atmospheric science that studies climate?
A branch of the atmospheric sciences that studies climate, defined as weather conditions averaged over an extended to indefinite period of time. Climatology incorporates aspects of oceanography, geology, biogeochemistry, and the related field of meteorology to understand the long-term dynamics of climate-influencing phenomena and to produce climate models which can be used to estimate past climates and predict future climates.
How deep is the surface of the ocean?
The water temperature of the surface layer of a sea or ocean, usually measured at a depth between 1 millimetre (0.04 in) and 20 metres (70 ft) beneath the surface . Air masses in the atmosphere are strongly influenced by sea surface temperatures within a short distance of the shore.
What happens to the cold front during the counterclockwise rotation?
At some point during the counterclockwise rotation, the cold front catches up and overtakes the warm front. At the point where the two fronts intersect, an occluded front is formed. At this point, the denser cold air moves in underneath the warm air behind the warm front and meets up with the cold air that was ahead of the hotter system.
What is cold occluded front?
A Cold Occluded Front develops when the air behind the front is colder, while the air ahead of the front is warmer. A Warm Occluded Front, on the other hand, develops when the air behind the front is warmer, while the air ahead of the front is cooler. The newly-formed front brings with it its unique weather conditions.
How does a cold front affect precipitation?
As the cold front catches up and overtakes the warm front, it pushes underneath and lifts the warm air behind it. Significant precipitation can take place as a result, as the warm air forced upwards, allow the moisture in it to cool down and condensates in water droplets.
What is the term for the strengthening of a cyclonic circulation around a low-pressure system?
The new front usually develops around the center of a low-pressure system during the formation of a cyclone. * Cyclogenesis is the term that usually refers to the strengthening of a cyclonic circulation around a low-pressure system. As the name suggests, this phenomenon closely follows the formation and fortification of a type of cyclone.
What causes the air temperature to drop?
The mixing of air behind the cold front with the cooler air in front of the warm front as the two merge causes the air temperatures to drop significantly. Combined with the majority of moisture lost along the edge of the front due to precipitation, it typically leaves a body of cold and dry air trailing behind an occluded front.
Does an occluded front occur often?
The newly-formed front brings with it its unique weather conditions. And even though it doesn't occur that often, an occluded front still needs to be clearly understood. As a result, it is crucial to explain how an occluded front develops in the first place.
Do weather conditions always manifest themselves in the same way?
Weather conditions do not always manifest themselves in the same way, even when it occurs around the same type of front. Generally, though, certain types of weather patterns can be associated with a specific weather system, which is the case with an occluded front. One can identify these weather patterns more clearly when looking at ...
What is a gustnado tornado?
While tornados involve a conflicted meeting between cold air and warm air that results in a furious vortex, a gustnado is described by AccuWeather as, "a short-lived, ground-based swirling wind that can form on the leading edge of a severe thunderstorm.". 5. Bomb Cyclone.
What does "swullocking" mean in English?
Next time your hair is affected by the humidity, you might find yourself saying "swullocking." It's a fun word to say. Mental Floss reports, "This is an old southeast English word meaning 'sultry' or 'humid.' " And, it could indicate that a thunderstorm is well on its way. You know the scene. It's humid and clouds are rolling in over your city. That's "swullocking."
What happens when thunder and lightning occur while it's snowing?
Thundersnow is what happens when " thunder and lightning occur while it’s snowing " according to an article in Newsweek. This weather term sounds like a weather event brought on by Thor. 8. Sea Smoke. Sea Smoke looks and sounds like something you don't want to cross, but in reality, it's just complex fog.
What does sea smoke sound like?
Sea Smoke looks and sounds like something you don't want to cross, but in reality, it's just complex fog. Dictionary.com defines it as, "fog caused by cold air flowing over a body of comparatively warm water, the vapor condensing in small convective columns near the water surface and giving the appearance of smoke or steam.".
What is a bomb cyclone?
Bomb Cyclone. As for the Bomb Cyclone, that's probably a new one if you don't study weather terminology on the regular. The Weather Channel defines this condition as, " having undergone bombogenesis or "bombing-out. " In short, it happens when a low pressure system drops rapidly, resulting in a "bomb"-like explosion of winter weather madness.
What does "Blenky" mean?
Mental Floss also points out that the word "Blenky" exists. They define it as, " 'to snow very lightly. ' It’s probably derived from blenks, an earlier 18th century word for ashes or cinders." It's an odd term, but more cute than intimidating.
What is a derecho storm?
The National Weather Service defines a derecho as, "a widespread, long-lived wind storm . Derechos are associated with bands of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms variously known as bow echoes, squall lines, or quasi-linear convective systems." If you're not a fan of the wind (me, hi), this doesn't sound fun.
