A weather front is a boundary between air masses with different properties. Fronts help explain why weather can change rapidly from one place to another, and meteorologists use maps to locate and track them.
A weather front is a boundary separating air masses that differ in characteristics such as temperature, density, humidity, and wind. Because the air on either side has different properties, the boundary can be a zone of changing or disturbed weather. A front may bring clouds, precipitation, or storms, but not every front produces clouds or precipitation. A wind shift is commonly associated with a frontal passage.
All flashcards
Weather front
A boundary or transition zone separating air masses with different properties, such as temperature, humidity, or wind.
Bergeron classification
A three-letter system describing an air mass's moisture, source-region thermal character, and stability relative to the ground.
Surface weather analysis
A map of weather observations for a region at a particular time, used to identify features such as fronts.
Warm sector
Near-surface warm air between a warm front and a cold front, usually on the equatorward side of an extratropical cyclone.
Warm front
The leading edge of an advancing warm air mass, which commonly rises gradually over cooler air.
Quiz questions
How is a cold front conventionally represented on weather maps?Answer: A blue line with triangles pointing in the direction of travel.
Which temperature relationship defines a cold occlusion?Answer: Air behind the advancing boundary is colder than the air ahead of it.
What primarily distinguishes a dry line from a conventional temperature front?Answer: It separates air masses with a sharp difference in moisture.
Which factors contribute to the movement of fronts?Answer: Winds aloft, pressure-gradient force, and the Coriolis effect.
Why does a stationary front have little overall movement?Answer: Neither air mass is strong enough to replace the other.
Based on the Wikipedia article Weather front, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.