What are 2 characteristics of a cold front?
Cold Fronts
- leading edge of sharp temperature change.
- moisture content (dew point) changes dramatically.
- wind shift (direction and speed)
- pressure trough (pressure tendency is useful!!!)
- often cloudy/showers/thunderstorms/sometimes severe.
What happens at a cold front boundary?
In a cold front set-up, the boundary between the cold and warm air masses is relatively steep (see below), typically causing the warm air in front of it to rise rapidly. This rising air creates energetic, billowing cumulonimbus clouds leading to showers and thunderstorms.
When cold front passes over an area then?
Relative humidity (RH) decreases when cold front passes over an area. Cold fronts are associated with clear sky and weather while warm fronts have clouds and rainfall.
What happens when a warm front passes?
Warm fronts generally move from southwest to northeast and the air behind a warm front is warmer and more moist than the air ahead of it. When a warm front passes through, the air becomes noticeably warmer and more humid than it was before. On colored weather maps, a warm front is drawn with a solid red line.
Where do cold fronts occur?
Cold Front: transition zone from warm air to cold air. A cold front is defined as the transition zone where a cold air mass is replacing a warmer air mass. Cold fronts generally move from northwest to southeast. The air behind a cold front is noticeably colder and drier than the air ahead of it.
What kind of weather comes before and after a cold front?
The weather before an occluded front is usually cold and wet, but after, the air becomes dry and the temperature may be cool or warm.
What happens when a cold front meets a warm front?
Similar events happen when a cold front encounters a warm front, except they happen more quickly. Because cold air is denser than warm air, cold fronts are able to force warm air out more quickly. The cold air pushes the warm air upwards, which may be followed by precipitation or storms due to moisture in the air.
What are the differences between a cold front and a warm front?
The key difference between cold fronts and warm fronts is how they are created. Of course, a cold front is associated with colder weather and a warm front is associated with warmer weather. Also, the isotherm gradient’s edges and troughs have differences (both discussed above).
What happens when a cold front runs into a warm front?
When the cold front reaches the warm front an occluded front is originated. After having discharged the remaining humidity on to the occluded front, the weather generally returns to good weather, the air on the ground starts to warm again: and the perturbation is exhausted.