1. AIR MASSES AND FRONTS

2. Air Masses
Air masses take on the characteristics of the area where they form.
Air mass temperature and moisture are consistent throughout.
Warm air forms over tropical regions near the equator.
T- Tropical
Cold air forms over polar regions.
P- Polar
Wet air masses form over water
m- maritime
Dry air masses form over land.
c- continental

3. Air masses Moisture content is noted by the first letter.
m – maritime – wet
c – continental – dry
Temperature is noted by the second letter.
P – polar – cool
T – tropical - warm

8. Air Masses mP- maritime polar air mass cP – continental polar air mass
mT – maritime tropical air mass
cT – continental polar air mass

9. Fronts A front is a boundary between air masses. Cold front Warm front
Four types of fronts and map symbols
Cold front
Warm front
Occluded front
Stationary front

10. COLD FRONT
Cold air mass meets a warm air mass and pushes the warm air mass out of its way.
Bring thunderstorms, rain or snow.
Most tornadoes develop from
thunderstorms on the edge of a cold front.
Cold front followed by cooler drier air.

11. COLD FRONT

12. WARM FRONT
Warm air mass meets a cold air mass and pushes the cold air mass out of the way.
Brings drizzly precipitation.
Followed by clear warm weather.

13. WARM FRONT

14. STATIONARY FRONT Cold air meets warm air.
Not enough force to move either front.
Many days of cloudy, wet weather.

15. STATIONARY FRONT

16. OCCLUDED FRONT Warm air caught between two cold air masses.
Brings cool temperatures with large amounts of rain or snow

17. OCCLUDED FRONT

18. Cold Front, Warm Front and Occluded Front Animation
Click on the above links.

20. Low Pressure L Air pressure pushing down. “Low Blow”
Winds, stormy weather on its way!

21. High Pressure H No air pressure pushing down “High Sky-Clear Sky”
Clear sunny skies, few or no clouds

22. Low & High Pressure

23. Quiz: Take this on the paper provided.
1. Describe a maritime polar (mP) air mass, in terms of moisture and temperature.
2. What is the name of an air mass that forms over water?
3. What is the name of an air mass that forms over land?
4. What is the name of an air mass that forms in a cold region?
5. What is the name of an air mass that forms in a warm region?
6. Describe a continental tropical (cT) air mass, Moisture and temperature.
7. The boundary between two air masses is called a ______________________.
8. A cold air mass meets and pushes a warm air mass out of the way.
What type of front am I?
9. A warm air mass is trapped between to cold air masses.
10. A warm air mass meets and pushes a cold air mass out of the way.
11. I am a front that brings drizzly rain and am followed by warm clear weather. Name me
12. A cold air mass meets a warm air but neither is very strong. They are separated and many days of wet , cloudy weather occur.