Cold air is more dense than warm air , so when a warm air mass meets a cold air mass, the cold air ends up below the warm air. Once the air has risen, it cools and clouds can form.
What happens when a warm air mass meets a cold air mass?
When a warm air mass meets a cold air mass, the warm air rises since it is lighter . ... As it rises, the warm air cools rapidly. This configuration, called a cold front, gives rise to cumulonimbus clouds, often associated with heavy precipitation and storms.
What happens when a cold air mass collides?
Frontal wedging: When a warm air mass and a cold air mass collide, you get a front . ... In a stationary front, neither air mass advances. Think of it as two fronts bumping into each other by accident. In an occluded front, a cold front overtakes a moving warm front, like an army swarming over a fleeing enemy.
What most likely happens when a cold air mass moves in and collides with a warm air mass?
When a cold front moves over a land region that has warm, moist air, a transfer of energy occurs . Cold air sinks and pushes warmer air upward.
What is a warm air mass?
[′wȯrm ¦er ′mas] (meteorology) An air mass that is warmer than the surrounding air ; an implication that the air mass is warmer than the surface over which it is moving.
What is a fast moving warm air mass overtakes a slower moving cold air mass?
Cold front : a fast-moving cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass; the warm air is pushed upward. Warm front: a warm air mass overtakes a slow-moving cold air mass; warm air moves over the cold air.
What kind of front occurs when a cold air mass replaces a warm air mass?
A cold weather front is defined as the changeover region where a cold air mass is replacing a warmer air mass. Cold weather fronts usually move from northwest to southeast. The air behind a cold front is colder and drier than the air in front.
Where does a cold moist air mass form?
Maritime polar (mP): Cool and moist. They usually bring cloudy, damp weather to the USA. Maritime polar air masses form over the northern Atlantic and the northern Pacific oceans . They most often influence the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast.
Why is a cold air mass denser than a warm air mass?
The air of cold air masses is more dense than warmer air masses. Therefore, as these cold air masses move, the dense air undercuts the warmer air masses forcing the warm air up and over the colder air causing it to rise into the atmosphere.
Which condition is most likely to cause the formation of a temperature inversion?
With weak winds, thermal inversions are much more likely to occur. Precipitation – Rainfall, like winds , help mix layers of air, discouraging the development of a temperature inversion. Snow will block sunlight from warming the land, making the layer of air nearest Earth’s surface cooler than normal.
What causes cold air masses?
When a warmer air mass travels over colder ground, the bottom layer of air cools and, because of its high density, is trapped near the ground. In general, cold air masses tend to flow toward the equator and warm air masses tend to flow toward the poles. This brings heat to cold areas and cools down areas that are warm.
How do the air masses move in a cold front?
A cold front is defined as the transition zone where a cold air mass is replacing a warmer air mass. Cold fronts generally move from northwest to southeast. ... Symbolically, a cold front is represented by a solid line with triangles along the front pointing towards the warmer air and in the direction of movement.
What are the 4 types of air masses?
There are four categories for air masses: arctic, tropical, polar and equatorial . Arctic air masses form in the Arctic region and are very cold. Tropical air masses form in low-latitude areas and are moderately warm. Polar air masses take shape in high-latitude regions and are cold.
What happens when an air mass is heated?
As the molecules heat and move faster, they are moving apart. So air, like most other substances, expands when heated and contracts when cooled . Because there is more space between the molecules, the air is less dense than the surrounding matter and the hot air floats upward.
What are the 5 types of air masses?
The air masses in and around North America include the continental arctic (cA), maritime polar (mP), maritime tropical (mT), continental tropical (cT), and continental polar (cP) air masses .
Which type of front forms when a fast cold air mass runs into a fast warm air mass?
Occluded Front
Because cold fronts move faster, the cold front is likely to overtake the warm front. This is known as an occluded front. At an occluded front, the cold air mass from the cold front meets the cool air that was ahead of the warm front. The warm air rises as these air masses come together.
