Air Masses, Fronts, and Cyclones

It refers to the warm moist air coming from the Pacific ocean

Is when warm air (from equator) collides with cold air (from the poles) creating extreme weather conditions like blizzards

Is a given volume of air

Are large bodies of air with fairly uniform temperature and moisture characteristics

• Latitude in which they are forming (tropical, polar, Arctic, Antarctic) • Surface type (marine (moist), continental (dry)

Cold, dry, stable

Dry, cold, stable

Moist, cool, unstable

Dry, warm, unstable

When boundaries between air of unlike temperatures (fronts) migrate, the warmer air is pushed a lot

Adiabatic cooling and cloud formation

Is when cold air advances towards warm air and warm air is displaced vertically by cooler air which usually forms a line of clouds or thunderstorms (squall line)

Are generally slower than cold fronts, as the warm air gently overrides the cold air, stratiform clouds form

Is when a faster moving cold front overtakes a warm front, leading to precipitation

Is a low pressure system

Counter-clock wise

• Early stage • Open stage • Occluded stage • Dissolving stage

Is the lifting of warm air which ceases causing the cyclone to lose its source of energy and moisture

When a cold front overtakes warm front, forcing warm air aloft and causing precipitation

Warm air moves north along advancing front, and the cold air moves south

The convergence of cold, polar air and warm subtropical air wand war air masses