Air Masses & Fronts

What is an Air Mass?

A large volume of air that has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure throughout. An air mass is a large body of air, usually 1600 kilometers or more across and perhaps several kilometers thick, which is characterized by homogeneous physical properties (in particular, temperature and moisture content)at any given altitude. Originate from high and lower pressure systems.

Air masses get their characteristics based on

WHERE THEY FORM.

Areas in which air masses originate are called

air mass source regions.

Types of Air Masses

cA: continental Arctic cP: continental Polar cT: continental Tropical mP: maritime Polar mT: maritime

Tropical

The classification of an air mass depends on:

polar latitudes P - located poleward of 60 degrees north and south tropical latitudes T - located within about 25 degrees of the equator continental c - located over large land masses--dry marine m - located over the oceans----moist

Abbreviations for Air Mass Source Regions

Air masses are identified by two-letter codes. With reference to latitude (temperature), air masses are placed into one of three categories:

polar (P), arctic (A), topical (T) A lowercase letter m, for maritime and c, for continental.

Continental Polar (cP)

Cold and dry, originating from high latitudes, typically as air flowing out of the polar highs. This air mass often brings the rattling cold, dry and clear weather on a perfect winter day and also dry and warm weather on a pleasant day in summer.

Maritime Polar (mP)

Cool and moist, often originating as continental polar air over the North American and Asian land masses and is modified as it moves out over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Heated by the relatively warm water bodies this air mass becomes rather unstable resulting in blustery showers over the sea and windward coasts.

Continental Tropial (cT)

Hot and very dry, orginating from the arid and desert regions during summer. The least common air mass to affect the British weather. The air has low dewpoints and warm to hot afternoon temperatures but with mild nighttime temperature.

Maritime Tropical (mT)

Mild and damp in winter, very warm and muggy during summer. warm, moist, usually unstable

Continental Arctic (cA)

Continental Arctic (cA) air represents extremely cold and dry conditions as, due to its temperature, it contains very little water vapor.

Fronts

What are Fronts ?

Caused by two or more air masses colliding (coming together) Large amounts of weather happen. Fronts separate air masses and bring about changes in temperature and humidity as one air mass is replaced by another.

Types of Fronts

Warm Front
Created when warm air displaces colder air. Shallow horizontal stratus clouds and light precipitation. Frontal fogs, sleet, freezing rain may occur as falling raindrops evaporate in the colder air near the surface. Half the slope of cold fronts, typically (1:200). Moving slower, about 20 km/hr (12 mph)

Cold Front
Cold fronts form when cold air displaces warm air. Indicative of heavy precipitation events, rainfall or snow, combined with rapid temperature drops. Moving faster, up to 50 km/hr (30 mph). Bring heavy rain and thunderstorms

Stationary Fronts
When two unlike air masses remain side by side, with neither encroaching upon the other, a stationary front exists. Fronts may slowly migrate and warmer air is displaced above colder. Warm and Cold front meet but dont move. Days of clouds and rain

Occluded Fronts
Occlusion: the warm air is cut off from the surface by the meeting of two fronts. Usually, a fast-moving cold front catches a slowmoving warm front. A cold-type occlusion: eastern half of the continent where a cold front associated with cP air meets a warm front with mP air ahead. A warm-type occlusion: western edges of continents where the cold front, associated with mP air, invades an area in which colder cP air is entrenched.