A guide to the symbols for weather fronts that may be found on a weather map.

In meteorology, a weather front is a boundary between two air masses with differing characteristics (e.g., air temperature or humidity). Guide to weather map symbols for weather fronts. ... Guide to weather map symbols for weather fronts. ... A weather map provides a view of weather elements over a specified geographical area at a specified time. ... Satellite image of Hurricane Hugo Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting. ... In meteorology, an airmass or air mass is a large volume of air having fairly uniform characteristics of temperature, atmospheric pressure, and water vapor content. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

When a weather front passes over an area, it is marked by changes in temperature, wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure, and often a change in the precipitation pattern. Temperature is the physical property of a system which underlies the common notions of hot and cold; the material with the higher temperature is said to be hotter. ... Wind is the quasi-horizontal movement of air (as opposed to an air current) caused by a horizontal pressure gradient force. ... diurnal (daily) rhythm of air pressure in northern Germany (black curve is air pressure) Atmospheric pressure is the pressure above any area in the Earths atmosphere caused by the weight of air. ...

Weather fronts are often closely associated with atmospheric pressure systems. They are generally guided by the jet stream and travel from west to east. This movement is due to the Coriolis effect, caused by the Earth spinning about its axis. Weather fronts can also be affected by geographic features like mountains and large bodies of water, especially at the lower levels of the atmosphere. diurnal (daily) rhythm of air pressure in northern Germany (black curve is air pressure) Atmospheric pressure is the pressure above any area in the Earths atmosphere caused by the weight of air. ... Jet streams are fast flowing, relatively narrow air currents found in the atmosphere at around 12 km above the surface of the Earth, just under the tropopause. ... Hurricane Isabel east of the Bahamas on September 15, 2003. ... Earth, also known as the Earth, Terra, and (mostly in the 19th century) Tellus, is the third-closest planet to the Sun. ... Mount McKinley in Alaska has one of the largest visible base-to-summit elevation differences anywhere A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... Layers of Atmosphere (NOAA) Earths atmosphere is the layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth and retained by the Earths gravity. ...

There are four main types of weather fronts:

• Cold front: cold fronts occur when a colder air mass approaches a warmer air mass. The colder air, being denser, cuts a wedge under the less dense warmer air, lifting it and finally overtaking it. Cold fronts move rapidly. Strong cold fronts can set off atmospheric disturbances such as thunderstorms, squall lines, tornadoes, high winds and short duration snowstorms ahead of the moving cold front and cooler, drier weather as the front passes. Depending on the time of year and geographic location, cold fronts can come in succession every 5 to 7 days. On weather maps, cold fronts are marked with the symbol of a blue line of triangles (icicles) pointing in the direction of travel.

A sea breeze is a form of a localized cold front.

• Warm front: warm fronts occur when a warmer air mass approaches a colder air mass. The warmer air lifts up and over the colder air. Warm fronts move more slowly than cold fronts, and are associated with less severe weather. They gently settle over the cold front and move it out of the way. Warm fronts bring steadier, lighter rain or snow in front of them, which can last from a few hours to several days, and warmer, drier air as the warm front passes. They can sometimes cause a period of thunderstorms. On weather maps, warm fronts are marked with the symbol of a red line of half circles (suns) pointing in the direction of travel.

• Stationary front: is a boundary between two different air masses, neither of which is strong enough to replace the other. A wide variety of weather can be found along a stationary front, but usually clouds and prolonged precipitation are found there. Stationary fronts will either dissipate after several days, or change into a cold or warm front. Stationary fronts are more numerous in the summer months. Stationary fronts are marked on weather maps with an alternating red/blue line of half circles and triangles pointing in opposite directions, symbolizing the dual nature of the front. Prolonged precipitation associated with stationary fronts are often responsible for flooding rainfalls during the summer months.

• Occluded fronts: are formed where a slower moving warm front is followed by a more rapidly moving cold front. The wedge shaped cold front eventually overtakes the warm front and pushes it aloft. The two fronts continue to move in tandem, with the line between them being the occluded front. As with stationary fronts, a wide variety of weather can be found along an occluded front, but usually they are associated with stratus clouds and light precipitation. Occluded fronts are marked on weather maps with a black dotted line between closely placed cold and warm front markings pointing in the direction of travel. Occluded fronts usually form around low pressure areas and usually when the low pressure area is weakening. It is also known as a Trowal (Trough of Warm air Aloft).

A similar phenomenon is a dry line, which is the boundary between wet and dry air. The best-known dry line is the one that forms near the Gulf of Mexico. When a dry line passes an area, there is an associated decrease in humidity. The phenomenon is also associated with much of the instability that occurs in the Great Plains that tends to lead to powerful storms. In meteorology, an airmass or air mass is a large volume of air having fairly uniform characteristics of temperature, atmospheric pressure, and water vapor content. ... In meteorology, an airmass or air mass is a large volume of air having fairly uniform characteristics of temperature, atmospheric pressure, and water vapor content. ... A roll cloud associated with a heavy or severe thunderstorm over Enschede, The Netherlands. ... A squall or squall line is a line of thunderstorms with a common leading convection line, or mesocyclone, which tends to create a powerful gust front. ... A tornado over land. ... Wind is the quasi-horizontal movement of air (as opposed to an air current) caused by a horizontal pressure gradient force. ... A winter storm is a storm where the dominant forms of precipitation are forms that occur only at cold temperatures, such as snow or sleet, or a rainstorm where ground temperatures are cold enough to allow ice to form. ... A weather map provides a view of weather elements over a specified geographical area at a specified time. ... A sea breeze or seabreeze is a thermally-forced mesoscale (i. ... In meteorology, an airmass or air mass is a large volume of air having fairly uniform characteristics of temperature, atmospheric pressure, and water vapor content. ... In meteorology, an airmass or air mass is a large volume of air having fairly uniform characteristics of temperature, atmospheric pressure, and water vapor content. ... Rain falling For other uses see Rain (disambiguation). ... A fresh snowfall in Colorados (USA) high forests. ... A roll cloud associated with a heavy or severe thunderstorm over Enschede, The Netherlands. ... A weather map provides a view of weather elements over a specified geographical area at a specified time. ... In meteorology, an airmass or air mass is a large volume of air having fairly uniform characteristics of temperature, atmospheric pressure, and water vapor content. ... Cumulus of fair weather A cloud is a visible mass of condensation droplets or ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body. ... A weather map provides a view of weather elements over a specified geographical area at a specified time. ... A Stratus cloud is a cloud belonging to a class characterized by horizontal layering with a uniform base, as opposed to convective clouds that are as tall or taller than wide (these are termed Cumulus clouds). ... A weather map provides a view of weather elements over a specified geographical area at a specified time. ... A low pressure area, or a low for short, is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lowest with relation to the surrounding area. ... In meteorology, a weather front is a boundary between two air masses with differing characteristics (e. ... Gulf of Mexico. ...

External Links

• "The Mid-Latitude Cyclone"