Understanding Air Masses and Weather Fronts

Front

What is an air mass?

Back

An air mass is a large mass of air that has similar characteristics such as temperature and humidity.

Front

What causes air masses to move around?

Back

Prevailing winds, which are winds that blow in one direction, move air masses around. These winds are caused by the uneven heating of air.

Front

What happens when two air masses crash into each other?

Back

When two air masses collide, they form a weather front. Dramatic weather changes can happen such as wind, rain and thunderstorms.

Front

What are some different kinds of weather fronts?

Back

Some different kinds of weather fronts are cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts and occluded fronts.

Front

What kinds of weather can we expect if a cold front is approaching?

Back

When a cold front approaches, rain is likely as the cold air mass pushes the warm air mass up. As the warm air mass rises it cools down and condenses to form clouds which will likely form rain.

Front

How do meteorologists label different kinds of weather fronts?

Back

Meteorologists use different symbols to represent the different kinds of weather fronts. A warm front is represented with a red line and semi circles, while a cold front is represented with a blue line with triangles.