How Do You Know the Direction a Front Is Moving

Storm front over Lake Superior, US.

EPA

When a front end passes over an area, it means a alter in the weather condition. Many fronts cause weather events such as rain, thunderstorms, gusty winds, and tornadoes. At a cold front end, there may be dramatic thunderstorms. At a warm front, at that place may be low stratus clouds. Usually, the skies clear once the front has passed.

A weather forepart is a transition zone between ii different air masses at the Earth's surface. Each air mass has unique temperature and humidity characteristics. Often at that place is turbulence at a front, which is the deadline where two different air masses come together. The turbulence can cause clouds and storms.

Instead of causing clouds and storms, some fronts only cause a change in temperature. Withal, some tempest fronts start Globe'south largest storms. Tropical waves are fronts that develop in the tropical Atlantic Ocean off the declension of Africa. These fronts can develop into tropical storms or hurricanes if weather condition allow.

Fronts move beyond the Earth'south surface over multiple days. The direction of movement is often guided by high winds, such as Jet Streams.  Landforms similar mountains tin can also alter the path of a forepart.

In that location are four dissimilar types of weather fronts: common cold fronts, warm fronts, stationary fronts, and occluded fronts.

Common cold Front end

Weather condition map showing a cold front end. Air temperatures alee of the front are warmer than temperatures in the cold air mass behind the forepart.

L.S. Gardiner/UCAR

A cold forepart forms when a cold air mass pushes into a warmer air mass. Common cold fronts can produce dramatic changes in the weather. They motion fast, upwardly to twice every bit fast every bit a warm front end. Every bit a cold front moves into an area, the heavier (more dense) absurd air pushes nether the lighter (less dense) warm air, causing it to rising up into the troposphere. Lifted warm air ahead of the front produces cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds and thunderstorms.

As the cold front passes, winds get gusty. There is a sudden driblet in temperature, and also heavy pelting, sometimes with hail, thunder, and lightning. Atmospheric pressure level changes from falling to rising at the front end. After a common cold front moves through your expanse, you may detect that the temperature is cooler, the rain has stopped, and the cumulus clouds are replaced by stratus and stratocumulus clouds or clear skies.

On weather maps, a cold forepart is represented by a solid blue line with filled-in triangles along information technology, like in the map. The triangles are like arrowheads pointing in the direction that the front is moving. Observe on the map that temperatures at the footing level change from warm to cold every bit you cross the front line.

Warm Front

Weather map showing a warm forepart. Air temperatures ahead of the front are cooler than temperatures in the warm air mass behind the front.

L.South.Gardiner/UCAR

A warm front forms when a warm air mass pushes into a cooler air mass, shown in the image to the right (A). Warm fronts often bring stormy weather as the warm air mass at the surface rises above the cool air mass, making clouds and storms. Warm fronts move more slowly than cold fronts considering information technology is more difficult for the warm air to push the cold, dense air beyond the Globe's surface. Warm fronts often class on the due east side of low-force per unit area systems where warmer air from the south is pushed north.

Y'all will oftentimes see loftier clouds like cirrus, cirrostratus, and middle clouds like altostratus ahead of a warm front end. These clouds grade in the warm air that is high above the cool air. Every bit the front end passes over an area, the clouds become lower, and rain is likely. At that place can be thunderstorms around the warm forepart if the air is unstable.

On conditions maps, the surface location of a warm front is represented past a solid red line with ruby, filled-in semicircles along it, like in the map on the right (B). The semicircles indicate the direction that the front is moving. They are on the side of the line where the front is moving. Notice on the map that temperatures at ground level are cooler in front of the front than behind it.

Stationary Front

A stationary front is represented on a map by triangles pointing in i management and semicircles pointed in the other management.

Fifty.S.Gardiner/UCAR

A stationary front forms when a cold front or warm front stops moving. This happens when ii masses of air are pushing against each other, but neither is powerful enough to motion the other. Winds blowing parallel to the front instead of perpendicular tin help it stay in place.

A stationary front may stay put for days. If the wind management changes, the front will start moving over again, condign either a cold or warm front. Or the front may suspension autonomously.

Because a stationary front marks the purlieus between 2 air masses, there are frequently differences in air temperature and wind on opposite sides of it. The atmospheric condition is often cloudy along a stationary front, and rain or snow oft falls, specially if the front is in an area of low atmospheric force per unit area.

On a weather map, a stationary forepart is shown as alternate cherry semicircles and blue triangles. Observe how the blue triangles point in one direction, and the scarlet semicircles point in the opposite direction.

Occluded Front end

On a atmospheric condition map, an occluded front looks like a purple line with alternating triangles and semicircles pointing in the direction that the forepart is moving.

L.S. Gardiner/Windows to the Universe

Sometimes a cold forepart follows right behind a warm front. A warm air mass pushes into a colder air mass (the warm front end), and so another cold air mass pushes into the warm air mass (the cold front). Considering common cold fronts movement faster, the cold front is likely to overtake the warm front. This is known every bit an occluded front.

At an occluded front end, the cold air mass from the common cold front meets the absurd air that was ahead of the warm front. The warm air rises as these air masses come up together. Occluded fronts usually grade around areas of low atmospheric pressure level.

There is frequently precipitation along an occluded front from cumulonimbus or nimbostratus clouds. Air current changes direction as the front passes and the temperature either warms or cools. Later the forepart passes, the sky is ordinarily clearer, and the air is drier.

On a weather map, shown to the correct, an occluded front looks similar a purple line with alternating triangles and semicircles pointing in the direction that the front is moving. It ends at a low pressure area shown with a large 'L' on the map, begins at the other end when common cold and warm fronts connect.

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Source: https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/how-weather-works/weather-fronts#:~:text=On%20weather%20maps%2C%20the%20surface,where%20the%20front%20is%20moving.

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