Name ______________________________________________ Date __________________ Block ________
Air Masses and Fronts Quiz Review
1. What is an air mass? An air mass is a large body of air in the lower troposphere that has similar
characteristics throughout
2. If a cold air mass moved over the Ashburn area, what would change? Temperatures would drop
3. How are Air Masses classified? Air masses are classified by temperature and humidity
4. Which air mass causes most of the precipitation in the eastern United States? Maritime Tropical over the
Caribbean Sea
5. Which two air masses mainly influence much of the east coast? Maritime Tropical and Continental Polar
6. Why do you think the Continental Tropical air mass centered over northern Mexico has little influence on
weather in the east? Air Masses don’t travel far from their source regions.
7. Air masses that form over land are called CONTINENTAL while air masses that form over water are
called MARITIME.
8. What is a warm front? The boundary between advancing warm air mass & a colder air mass it is displacing
9. What forms when a cold front overtakes a warm front? An occluded front
10. What happens along stationary fronts? the front stops moving forward, producing clouds & precipitation
11. What kind of weather is associated with cold fronts? Wind, heavy rain, Thunderstorms, Lightning, clearing
and colder air after front passes
12. What is the difference between and Arctic air mass and a Polar air mass? Arctic air masses are colder
13. Which air mass is the most dense? Why? Continental Arctic because it’s the coldest and driest
14. Why are fronts associated with low pressure? Because warm air rises at all frontal boundaries and rising
air creates low pressure
15. Which types of fronts are most likely to produce thunderstorms? Cold and Occluded fronts
16. a) A warm, moist air mass moves northwest over a cool, arid area. How will the air mass affect the area it
moves over? It will bring warmer temperatures and rain
16. b) How will this affect the air mass? The air mass will eventually cool down and become drier.
17. a) Describe the weather conditions that come before and during the passage of a Warm Front:
Cirrus clouds appear ahead of the warm front along with nimbostratus clouds that bring rain. After the front
passes, temperatures become warmer and the skies clear.
17. b) Describe the weather conditions that come before and during the passage of a Cold Front:
Altocumulus or cumulus clouds may appear ahead of a cumulonimbus which creates thunderstorms ahead of
the front. After the front passes, temperatures become cooler and skies clear.
Fill in the blank:
18. The CONTINENTAL tropical air mass can cause very hot, drought-like conditions during summer on the
Great Plains.
19. Heavy rain, on the windward slopes of mountains near the Pacific, is caused by the uplift of air in
MARITIME polar air masses.
20. Air masses that form over dry land are CONTINENTAL air masses.
21. When a cold front ‘catches up’ with a warm front an OCCLUDED FRONT forms.
22. The boundary that separates opposing air masses is called a FRONT
Use the figure below to answer the following questions:
C
A
G
E
D
B
F
23. Which air masses bring cool, dry air to large regions of eastern North America? CONTINETAL POLAR or
CONTINENTAL ARCTIC
24. The air masses labeled A & G are classified as MARITIME POLAR.
25. The air masses labeled B and F bring warm, moist air to the United States.
26. The air mass labeled
D would be represented by the symbol cT.
In the space below, draw the following symbols that would appear on a weather map: