It's Just a Front

Discover weather fronts! Learn about cold, warm, stationary, and occluded fronts and how they change the weather.

Read the complete selection. It has been broken into two sections for easier reading. Make sure to read each section and complete the answers. It's Just a FrontBy Patti HutchisonThe weather forecaster says a cold front is coming your way. How cold will it be? Will it rain or snow? How long will it last? What is a front?Giant air masses are constantly forming over the earth. These air masses can be warm and wet or dry and cold. They are always on the move. When two different air masses crash into each other, a front is formed. There are four different kinds of fronts: cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts, and occluded fronts. Fronts can stretch for miles or affect only a section of the country. But they always bring changes in the weather.A cold front is the leading edge of a large mass of cold, dense air. When it bumps into a warmer air mass, it forces the warm air up. The warm air cools as it rises. It condenses and forms clouds. You can feel the air getting cooler. Rain or snow showers occur along the boundary of the front. Sometimes there are thunderstorms. In fact, cold fronts can cause violent weather, such as tornadoes. The precipitation usually lasts only a little while. A blue line with triangles shows a cold front on weather maps. The triangles point in the direction the front is headed.When you see a red line with half circles on the map, it shows a warm front. A warm front is the leading edge of a large mass of warm air. As warm air moves into an area of cold air, the warm air takes over. There will be a lot of thick clouds and rain behind the front, but the temperature will be warmer. It will be very windy. The rain may last one to two days. 1. A front forms when _. two air masses move away from the other two air masses bump into each other 2. On a weather map, a red line with half circles shows a(n)_. cold front warm front occluded front 3. The blue triangles of a cold front point in the direction _. the front has come from the front is going where the temperature is colder 4. Which type of front usually causes the most violent weather? cold front warm front stationary front A stationary front happens when two air masses meet and neither one takes over. The temperature and pressure are almost the same in both air masses. They stall out and do not move. Sometimes there are some clouds and a little bit of precipitation. This usually happens behind the edge of the front. On a weather chart a stationary front looks like a combination of a warm front and a cold front. It is a blue line with blue triangles on one side and red half circles on the other.A purple line with triangles and half circles on the same side shows an occluded front. This happens when a large, cold air mass moves in fast and overtakes a warm front. A variety of different weather patterns can happen with an occluded front. Thunderstorms are possible, but often an occluded front can result in the drying of an air mass.Weather fronts are shown on the map in several different ways. No matter what kind of front is passing over your area, you can count on a change in the weather. The air behind it will be much different from the air ahead of it. 5. An occluded front often results in _. Enter your answer below 6. Explain what a stationary front looks like on a weather chart. Enter your answer below