{ Weather Fronts

 Polar air masses are going to be represented with a capital "P"  Tropical air masses are going to be represented with a capital "T"  "Maritime" will be represented with a lower case "m" in front of the P or T  "Continental" will be represented with a lower case "c" in front of the P or T Air Mass Labeling

 cP: cold, dry  cT: hot, dry  mP: cool, humid  mT: warm, humid Air Mass Characteristics?

 Fronts are large boundaries that separate different air masses, one warmer and often having a higher moisture content than the other. Frontin'

 Generally, an air mass on one side of the front is going to move faster relative to the front boundary than the other air mass on the other side.  Therefore, one air mass is always advancing on another Front Movement

 Not that much mixing of the air masses  Basically retain their distinct identities as one goes over the other in a process called overrunning The Front

 No matter what, it is always warmer (LESS DENSE) air that is forced on top

 Marked by red semi-circles with the rounded edge pointing in the direction of the front  When a front moves so that warm air is occupying a space that was formally occupied by cold air it is called a warm front  Advances slooooowwwwlyyyyy, mph Warm Fronts

 The weather for a warm front can stretch out a 1000 miles ahead of it and can start appearing 36 to 48 hours ahead of it  Weather starts out as thin, wispy cirrus clouds (halo around sun/moon)  With time, these thin clouds get gradually lower and thicken  Eventually there's a steady light rain or drizzle  Near the actual frontal boundary, precipitation tends to become steadier and heavier and there could also be areas of fog as well  Could last for days Warm Fronts

 When cold, dense air is actively advancing into an area occupied by warmer air  These fronts are twice as steep and 50% faster than warm fronts, going at about mph  Like an atmospheric plow  Represented by blue triangles, like spikes, in the direction that the front is moving Cold Fronts

 Weather along these fronts are much more violent  Creates:  Towering cumulus clouds  Hard showers  Gusty thunderstorms  All of this is followed by a push of colder, drier air Cold Fronts

 When a cold front over takes a warm front forcing it up  Then this cold air bumps up against another cold front  2 Types:  In a cold occlusion, the air mass overtaking the warm front is cooler than the cool air ahead of the warm front, and plows under both air masses.  In a warm occlusion, the air mass overtaking the warm front is not as cool as the cold air ahead of the warm front, and rides over the colder air mass while lifting the warm air. Occluded Front

 INTENSE weather  Storm systems reach their greatest intensity when they become "occluded" (when the cold meets the cold and forces the warm up)  Brings heavy rain, gusty winds, and thunderstorms  Eventually dies down when air mixes  Marked by purple alternating semi-circles and triangles pointing in the direction of the front Occluded Front Weather

 No significant movement and neither air mass is overtaking the other  The resultant weather is usually low cloud cover and long duration precipitation. Not too much wind.  Marked by red semi-circles and blue triangles pointing in opposite directions Stationary Front