Cold front
A cold front is a meteorological word that is used to describe the movement of a cooler air mass into an area of warmer air.[1] The air with greater density moves under the less dense warmer air, lifting it, which can cause a line of showers and thunderstorms, or a squall line to form when there is sufficient moisture. This upward motion causes lowered pressure along the cold front. On weather maps, the surface position of the cold front is marked with the symbol of a blue line of triangles/spikes pointing in the direction of its movement. Cold fronts can also move up to twice as fast as warm fronts.
Cold Front Media
A cold front as it appeared on the National Weather Service Wichita, Kansas WSR-88D on April 3, 2011. The thin blue line labeled "cold front" is the front, with severe thunderstorms seen developing behind the front, which is moving towards the bottom right.
Strong thunderstorm associated with a cold front in Northern Mexico
Occluded cyclone example. The triple point is the intersection of the cold, warm, and occluded fronts.
Notes
- ↑ University of Illinois. Cold Front. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.