Air Masses, Fronts and MLCs
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Transcript of Air Masses, Fronts and MLCs
Air Masses, Fronts and MLCs
Weather Day to day conditions of the atmosphere driven by the heat from the sun and fueled
by the energy of water phase changes The weather is expressed in terms of its
elements: air temp, humidity, precipitation, air pressure, speed and direction of wind, cloud coverage
Changes in the weather
The US has the greatest variety of weather of any country in the world!
Associated with fronts, pressure zones, and air masses
What is an air mass?
Warm Front
Marked on a map by a red line with red semi-circles pointed towards the cool air
Generally associated with cirrus clouds followed by stratus/nimbostratus type clouds, (overcast skies), drizzle
Cold Front
Marked on a map with a blue line and blue triangles pointing towards the warm air.
cumulonimbus clouds along the front in the warm air, producing thunderstorms/heavy precipitation as well as severe weather at times (hail, tornados)
Occluded Front
Note: Warm air gets wedged between the cooler air causes clouds to form
Mid-Latitude Cyclones
Lows and Highs
High pressure=air falling=clear skies, clockwise rotation
Low pressure caused by lifting air Low pressure centers=“storm”,
characterized by counterclockwise rotation of wind, cloudiness, precipitation
Hurricane, mid-latitude cyclone, tornado
Practice Questions
What is North Carolina experiencing in terms of type of clouds based on this weather map?