Air Masses And Fronts Flashcards
What is a front?
A zone of mixing/a boundary of 2 air masses with different densities
What do you always see at a front?
Uplift (forced convection), which brings clouds and precipitation
What is an air mass?
A large volume of air with similar temperature and dew point
What are the four types of air mass?
Tropical (T)
Polar/Arctic (P/A)
Continental ( C )
Maritime (m)
What are the weather conditions associated with a Tropical maritime ( T m ) air mass?
Warm, Moist, High Td, Stable, Drizzle, Low Cloud, Poor Visibility
What are the weather conditions associated with a Polar maritime ( Pm ) air mass?
Cool, Low Td, Unstable, Cu Clouds, Showers, Good Visibility, Clean Air Stream
What is an Ana front?
If the air in the warm sector is rising relative to the frontal zone and the fronts are active they are ana fronts
What is a Kata front?
The warm air is sinking relative to the cold air mass giving less intense kata fronts
What is a Warm front?
Leading edge of the warm, moist air
What is a Cold front?
Leading edge of the cool, dense air
What is an Occluded front?
Combination of warm and cool fronts
Warm air behind - warm occlusion
Cold air behind - cold occlusion
What type of front is associated with bands of heavy precipitation?
Cold Front
