Air Masses and Fronts PDF

Air masses Major of air masses Air masses it is a huge body of air that has similar temperature humidity and air pressure How air masses move The air masses move prevailing westerlies and jet stream prevailing westerlies the major wind belt over continental united states Jet stream it is a band...

Air masses Major of air masses Air masses it is a huge body of air that has similar temperature humidity and air pressure How air masses move The air masses move prevailing westerlies and jet stream prevailing westerlies the major wind belt over continental united states Jet stream it is a band of high speed wind about 6-14 Km above earth surface Types of air masses Maritime tropical Continental tropical Maritime polar Continental polar Tropical air masses form in tropics and have low air pressure Polar air masses form in the high latitudes and have high air pressure Maritime air masses form over the ocean Continental air masses have large amount of moisture and are drier than maritime air masses Types of fronts The oil and water don’t mix due to less dense of oil than the water Air masses of different temperature act the same way they don’t mix easily The boundary when the air masses meet becomes a front Types of front Cold front it forms when a cold air mass runs into a warm air mass Cold fronts can result In abrupt and hazardous weather such as heavy rain and Wind, thunderstorms and even tornadoes After the front the weather usually cools and the skies become clear. Warm Fronts A warm front forms when a fast moving warm air mass overtakes a slower-moving cold air mass. Because the warm air mass Is less It rises above the cold air mass. Occluded fronts sometimes a warm air mass gets caught between two cold air masses Stationary front sometimes cold and warm air masses meet but neither one can move the other Cyclone are areas of low pressure with wind spiraling into the center Anticyclone are areas of high pressure with wind spiraling out from the center