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Mapping Frontal Movement
When meteorologists speak of fronts, they are talking about places where two different air masses meet and interact.
Cold Fronts
Cold air is heavy and therefore has high pressure. In a cold front, the cold air is pushing under warmer, lighter air. Figure 1 shows how a cold front is drawn on a weather map. Figure 2 shows a cross section of a typical cold front.
Warm Fronts
Warm air is lighter and has low pressure. When a warm front moves into an area, the warm air slides over the colder, heavier air. Figure 3 shows how a warm front is shown on a weather map. Figure 4 shows a cross section of a typical warm front.
Fig. 1
Fig. 3
Fig. 2
Fig. 4
Cyclones
On a weather map, you frequently find warm and cold fronts connected. This is called a cyclone and is shown in Figure 5.
A cyclone is nothing more than a system of warm and cold air. It spins counter-clockwise around its center, which is called a low.
Below you will find a map of the United States. It shows a cyclone moving across the United States. On Monday, it is in Utah and by Thursday it has moved to New York and Pennsylvania.
Using this map and the information at the beginning of the lab, answer questions on the last page of this packet.
Questions
Fig. 5
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
1” = 400 Miles
Comparing and Contrasting Fronts
Weather Conditions Warm Front Cold Front Stationary Front Occluded Front
Temperature
Air Pressure
Clouds
Winds
Precipitation
Sketch
