Download Air mass notes File


Large, thick bodies of air that have a uniform
temperature and humidity.

May cover hundreds or thousands of
kilometers of Earth’s surface.

Air masses can reach the top of the
troposphere.

Please select one piece of construction paper.
It is located back at the labs.

Names of the air masses reflect their source.
 Name and describe the four types of
fronts.
 What type of weather comes from
each front?
 A volume of air that has similar
temperature and moisture content.

Boundary between two different air masses
 Cold
 Warm
 Stationary
 Occluded

Cold fronts
 A cold air mass moves in
and replaces a warm air
mass

As the Cold Front moves in, the warm air
rises, cools and forms cumulonimbus clouds,
heavy precipitation follows

Warm fronts
 A warm air mass slides over a cold air
mass

As the Warm Front
moves in cumulus
clouds form first,
eventually stratus
clouds form causing
overcast skies and
drizzle

Stationary
 Cold and warm air masses meet, but there is not
enough force to lift the warm air mass.
▪ The air masses
remain separate

In a stationary front no change in the weather
occurs, just more of the same.

Occluded
 A warm air mass is caught between two cold air
masses
 The warm air mass is pushed upward

During an occluded front there will be cooler
temperatures and lots of rain and snow
CIRRUS
CIRROCUMULUS
Made of falling ice crystals.
 The longer the strands, the
stronger the wind.
 These indicate the air is
dry.
 Good weather will
continue.



Called a Mackerel sky.
Unsettled weather is on
the way.

This level of clouds can form rain or snow.
CUMULUS

Small and scattered means
good weather.
CUMULONIMBUS



Form on hot summer days.
Warm air rises from the
ground and convection
cells start.
Rain will fall.
STRATUS

Forms in stable air.
STRATOCUMULUS

Formed when warm, moist
air mixes with dry cooler
air.
When these air masses
meet, they begin to roll
and that creates the
thickness of the clouds.
 Drizzle is possible.


Name and describe the four types of
fronts.

What type of weather comes from each
front?
 Why is warm, dry air considered
high pressure?