Download Air Masses and Weather Fronts

http://www.inkcinct.com.au/Web/CARTOONS/2006/2006-694-Weather-front-title-fight.jpg
Air Masses
 Air mass – large body of
air that takes on the
characteristics of the
area of which it forms
(source region)
 Over land – drier
 Over water – more
humid
 Also takes on
temperature of source
region
http://blogs.redding.com/redding/smobley/archives/3-24-08-today-gfsx_500p_24h.gif
Air Masses - Origins
 What do you think Air
Mass #1 would be like in
April? Cold/Warm?
Moist/Dry? Why?
 What do you think Air
Mass #2 would be like in
April? Why?
http://www.kidsgeo.com/images/air-masses.jpg
Air Masses - Origins
 Maritime tropical (mT)
 warm and humid
 Continental tropical (cT)
 warm and dry
 Maritime polar (mP)
 cold and humid
 Continental polar (cP)
 cold and dry
 Arctic (A)
 even colder!
Air masses don’t
just affect the US!!
http://www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/images/weather/air_masses.gif
Answer questions on the back
Weather Fronts
 Form where two air
masses with different
characteristics collide
 Four types
 Cold
 Warm
 Occluded
 Stationary
http://www.bynon.cc/blog/fronts.jpg http://www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/Atmosphere/images/front_superior_epa_lg.jpg
Cold Front
 Cold air moves in on existing warm air (blue triangles)
 Rapidly rising warm air  cools, condenses
 Thunderstorms common
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7r.html
Cold Front
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/images/cold-front_lg_gif_image.html&edu=high
Warm Front
 Warm air invades area of cool air (red circles)
 Warm air rises over cool air  cools, condenses
 Rain common
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7r.html
Warm Front
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/Atmosphere/images/warm-front_lg.gif
Cold Front vs. Warm Front
View Animation
Occluded Front
 Warm air gets trapped between two cold fronts (red circles
and blue triangles/purple circles and triangles)
 Warm air forced up  cools, condenses
 Complex weather, rain/snow, thunderstorms
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7r.html
Occluded Front
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/images/occluded_lg_gif_image.html&edu=high
Stationary Front
 No mixing (blue triangles
and red circles)
 Air masses push against
each other, but neither
moves
 Parallel winds
 Hard to predict weather
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/Atmosphere/images/stationary_sm.gif
Weather fronts from Monday
Fill out the questions on the back. Color the front if it helps you.