And everything that comes with it AIR And everything that comes with it

Air Mass a huge “bubble” of air that shares the same temperature and amount of pressure. (can be big enough to cover several states) They move all over the earth and cause changes in the weather. Warm Air Mass: this is an air mass made up of warm air that has a low pressure. Usually holds a lot of moisture. Forms over hot land or water. Low Pressure (L) Cold Air Mass: this is an air mass made up of cool temperatures and high pressure. Usually does not hold much moisture Forms over cold water or land. High Pressure (H)

Where air masses meet BUT do not mix Fronts! Where air masses meet BUT do not mix

These two air masses meet and form a front

pushes the warm air up quickly. COLD FRONT During a cold front, a cold air mass catches up to a warm air mass and… pushes the warm air up quickly. Weather associated with cold fronts is… Thunderstorms

The map symbol for a cold front is a curved line with small… blue spikes When cold air catches up to warm air and pushes it up and away, what is formed?... cold front

The map symbol for a warm front is a curved line with small… Forms when a warm air mass catches up to a cold air mass The map symbol for a warm front is a curved line with small… rounded knob

When a warm front forms the warm air… slides over the top of the cold air, before … pushing it away

Comparing Warm and Cold Fronts Cold fronts move faster than warm fronts. The weather activity in a cold front is often violent and happens directly at the front Cold fronts have sudden gusty winds high in the air creating turbulence. The weather activity in a warm front generally happens before the front passes In a warm front the cloud formation is very low often creating situations of poor visibility

Occluded Front This kind of front happens when two cold air masses approach each other, and the warm air mass in between them gets pushed upwards. Occluded fronts bring lots of rain, snow, and cold temperatures.

Stationary Front If two air masses meet but neither of them has enough energy to push against each other or move up or down, a stationary front is formed. These fronts bring many days of overcast (cloudy) and rainy weather.