Download NOAA Training Activity Forecasting Black

Name: _________________________________________________
NOAA Training Activity #4:
Period : _______________
Maps, Air Masses, and Fronts
Weather Maps
Doppler Radar – gives us maps on ____________________________________.
Satellites – gives us maps on
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________.
Isobars – lines on a _____________ that connect __________________________________.
“Isos baros” – equal _________________________________________
Name: _________________________________________________
Period : _______________
National Weather Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website:
Besides radar and satellite maps, what are 2 other things you can find from this website?
1. ____________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________
Air Masses - Defined
An air mass is a large body of ________________ that has similar temperatures and
moisture__________________________________ throughout.
Can come from land (_____________________) or sea (___________________).
___________________________________ air masses tend to come from the _____________.
Cold air masses tend tocome______________________________________________________.
Air Masses - Types
We combine the moisture classification with the temperature classification to characterize the
air masses.
Continental Polar (cP) – dry and _____________________________________
Continental Arctic (cA) - dry and very cold
Name: _________________________________________________
Period : _______________
Continental Tropical (cT) – __________________________
Maritime Polar (mP) – ___________________________ and cold
Maritime Tropical (mT) – ______________________________
Fill in the missing air masses in the circles.
National Geographic Air Masses Video:
When air masses meet, what do they create? ________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
What is a front?
Name: _________________________________________________
Period : _______________
A front is the _____________________________ that forms between two different air masses.
Fronts occur in the _______________________________________ latitudes because there are
both ______________________________________________ there.
Types of Fronts:
_________________________________
Cold
_________________________________
Stationary
Front Symbols:
Draw the front symbols with the
correct color using colored
pencils.
Warm Front
A warm front occurs when a ________________________ air mass meets a cold air mass.
The warm air mass overtakes the ____________________ because the warm, less dense air
moves over the ___________________________________________________________.
Brings ____________________________________ precipitation
Clear and warm when it is gone
Name: _________________________________________________
Period : _______________
Fill in the temperatures in the circles.
Cold Front
Cold air mass meets a warm air mass.
The cold, more dense air moves _____________________________ the warm air mass and
pushes it up.
Moves ________________________________.
Thunderstorms, heavy rain, or snow
Cold weather follows a ________________ front.
Fill in the temperatures in the circles.
Occluded Front
A faster moving cold air mass ___________________________________ a slower moving warm
air mass and forces the warm air mass up.
The cold air mass continues until it ________________________________________________.
The cold air mass then forces this air mass to rise.
It has cool temperatures and large amounts of _______________________________________.
In other words, when a cold front _________________________. (A warm air mass sandwich :))
Name: _________________________________________________
Period : _______________
Stationary Front
Cold air mass meets a warm air mass and does not move much (it’s stationary).
The weather similar to a ___________________________________________ front.
Write what score you received on the Study Jams Quiz: ________________________________