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Fronts

Fronts. Compare the characteristic weather patterns of cold fronts. Describe how a midlatitude cyclone forms Describe the development of hurricane, thunderstorms, and tornadoes. .

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Fronts

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  1. Fronts Compare the characteristic weather patterns of cold fronts. Describe how a midlatitude cyclone forms Describe the development of hurricane, thunderstorms, and tornadoes.

  2. Density differences cause fronts. A front is a barrier between cold and warm air. Since warm air rises and cold air sinks it forms a distinct line called a front. • Fronts do not exist in the tropics because no air masses have significant temperature differences to create a barrier. • For a front to form, one air mass must collide with another air mass. The kind of front that forms is determined by how the air masses move in relationship to each other. Types of Fronts

  3. When a cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass, a cold front forms. The moving cold air lifts the warm air. If the arm air is moist, clouds will form. • Storms that form along cold fronts are usually short-lived and violent. A long line of heavy thunderstorms is called a squall line. • Warm front is the front edge of an advancing warm air mass that replaces colder air with warmer air. • A warm front generally produces precipitation over a large area and may occasionally cause violent weather. Cold and Warm Front

  4. Sometimes when two air masses meet, the air moves parallel to the front and neither air mass is displaced. A front at which air masses move either very slowly or not at all is called a stationary front. • The weather produced by a stationary front is similar to the weather produced by a warm front. • An occluded front usually forms when a fast-moving cold front overtakes a warm front and lifts the warm air off the ground completely. Stationary and Occluded Fronts

  5. The boundary where cold, polar air meets the tropical air mass of the middle latitudes is called a polar front. • A wave is a bend that forms in a cold or stationary front. • These waves are the beginnings of low-pressure storm centers called midlatitude cyclones or wave cyclones. • Midlatitude cyclones are areas of low pressure that are chracterized rotating wind, which moves towards the rising air of the central low-pressure region. These cyclones strongly influence weather patterns in the middle latitudes. Polar Fronts and Midlatitude Cyclones

  6. A midlatitude cyclone usually lasts several days. The stages of dissipation of a midlatitude cyclone are shown in Figure three of the textbook. • They travel in a counterclockwise pattern as they go from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast. • As they pass over the western mountains, they lose their moisture and energy. Stages of a Midlatitude Cyclone

  7. Unlike the air in a midlatitude cyclone, the air in an anticyclone sinks and flows outward from a center of high pressure. Because of the Corioliseffect, the circulation of air around an anticyclone is clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. Anticyclones bring dry air and after a few weeks may cause drought. Anticyclone

  8. A brief, heavy storm that consists of rain, strong winds, lightning, and thunder is called a thunderstorm. • Thunderstorms develop in three stages: cumulus, mature, and dissipating. • During a thunderstorm, clouds discharge energy in the form of lightning. The released electricity heats the air, and the air expands rapidly and produces a loud noise known as thunder. Thunderstorms

  9. A severe storm that develops over tropical oceans and whose strong winds of more than 120 km/h spiral in toward the intensely low-pressure storm center is called a hurricane. • A fully developed hurricane consists of big and thick cumulus clouds that move a high rate and an eye of relative calm. • Every hurricane is categorized on the Saffir-Simpson scale by using several factors. These factors include central pressure, wind speed, and storm surge. This scale has five levels from 1 to 5. Hurricanes

  10. A tornado is a destructive, rotating column of air that has very high wind speeds that may be visible as a funnel-shaped cloud. • A tornado forms when a thunderstorm meets high-altitude, horizontal winds. These winds cause the rising air in the thunderstorm to rotate. • Tornado Alley is where most of the tornados are located in between Texas and the Midwestern United States. Tornadoes

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