Understanding Fronts
Draw this table in your notes:
Name of Front
Cold
Warm
Stationary
Occluded
Symbol
(need red, blue, & purple)
Associated Weather/Clouds
What is a Front?
• Front - the boundary between two masses of air
of different temperatures
Cold Front
• Marked on a map with a blue line and blue
triangles pointing towards the warm air.
(in the direction the cold air is going.)
• Associated with cumulus & cumulonimbus
clouds ahead of the front in the warm air,
producing showers and thunderstorms.
AFTER the cold front, the sky is clear.
Cold Front
• Simple 3-D idea:
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7r.html
Cold Front
http://www.free-online-private-pilot-ground-school.com/images/cold-front.gif
Cold Front and Warm Fronts
Warm Front
• Marked on a map by a red line with red
semi-circles pointed towards the cool
air (in the direction the warm air is going.)
• Generally associated with stratus type
clouds, overcast skies, fog, and
general rain or snow.
Warm Front
• Simple 3-D idea:
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7r.html
Warm Front
http://www.free-online-private-pilot-ground-school.com/images/warm-front.gif
Cold Front and Warm Fronts
Stationary Front
• Marked by alternating blue lines & blue
triangles (pointed in the direction of the
warmer air) and red lines & red semicircles (pointed in the direction of the
cooler air)
• Usually associated with multiple days of
clouds and precipitation
Occluded Front
• Marked by a purple line with alternating
purple triangles and purple semi-circles,
all pointing in the direction of the frontal
movement.
• Type of weather = sometimes
thunderstorms, but often weather clears
Occluded Front
• Simple 3-D idea:
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7r.html
Occluded Front
http://www.free-online-private-pilot-ground-school.com/images/occluded-front.gif
Clouds
A brief guide on clouds types,
cloud observing, and time.
Have you ever looked at clouds
and wondered if they had
names?
• Luke Howard did over
•
•
200 years ago.
He decided that
clouds could be
classified into three
main categories.
He used Latin to
name the clouds.
**Draw this on the
other side of your
sheet
Stratus
Cirrus
Cumulus
Three main cloud types
• Cirrus (Latin for Curl)
– means hair and describes wispy
looking clouds. This term is also used
to describe high level clouds
• Cumulus (Latin for heap)
– means pile and describes heaped,
lumpy clouds
• Stratus (Latin for layer)
– means layer and describes clouds that
form in sheets and do not have any
unique features
(Wispy, Horse tail)
Cirrus
Stratus
Cumulus
(Layered, Flat)
(Cotton Ball)
You’ve learned the basic types
of clouds…let’s get go on to
deluxe clouds.
• Nimbus (Latin for Rain)
– use this term only when a cloud actually produces
precipitation
•Alto
– describes mid-level clouds
Pictures from http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/
Let’s combine names.
• Cirrocumulus
– Can best be described
as a high cloud that
resembles fish scales
http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/
(Wispy, Horse tail)
Cirrus
Cirrocumulus
(Fish Scale)
Stratus
Cumulus
(Layered, Flat)
(Cotton Ball)
Let’s combine names.
• Stratocumulus
– Best described as a
cloud accident or puffy
bottoms
http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/
(Wispy, Horse tail)
Cirrus
Cirrocumulus
(Fish Scale)
Stratus
Stratocumulus
Cumulus
(Layered, Flat)
(Puffy bottoms, cloud accident)
(Cotton Ball)
Let’s combine names.
• Nimbostratus
– Looks like a stratus
cloud but it is
producing precipitation
http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/
(Wispy, Horse tail)
Cirrus
Cirrocumulus
Stratus
(Layered, Flat)
Stratocumulus
(Puffy bottoms, cloud accident)
Nimbostratus
(low blanket with lots of rain)
(Fish Scale)
Cumulus
(Cotton Ball)
Let’s combine names.
• Altocumulus
– Mid-level cloud
– Described as flocks of
sheep or streets of
clouds
•Altostratus
–Mid-level cloud
–Light gray layer
–Light behind the clouds
Pictures from http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/
(Wispy, Horse tail)
Cirrus
Cirrocumulus
Altostratus
(Fish Scale)
Altocumulus
(Light grey, light behind clouds)
(Streets of clouds,
flock of sheep)
Stratus
(Layered, Flat)
Nimbostratus
(low blanket with lots of rain)
Stratocumulus
(Puffy bottoms, cloud accident)
Cumulus
(Cotton Ball)
Let’s combine names.
•Cirrostratus
–High-level cloud
–Thin veil of clouds
–Produces a sun or
moon halo
(Wispy, Horse tail)
Cirrus
Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus
(Fish Scale)
(Thin, veil,sun/moon halo)
Altostratus
Altocumulus
(Light grey, light behind clouds)
Stratus
(Layered, Flat)
(Streets of clouds, flock of shee
Stratocumulus
(Puffy bottoms, cloud accident)
Nimbostratus
(low blanket with lots of rain)
Cumulus
(Cotton Ball)
Let’s combine names.
•Cumulonimbus
•Thunderclouds
•Storm makers
•Produce lightening and
thunder
http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/
(Wispy, Horse tail)
Cirrus
Cirrostratus
Cirrocumulus
(Fish Scale)
(Thin, veil,sun/moon halo)
Altostratus
Altocumulus
(Light grey, light behind clouds)
Stratus
(Layered, Flat)
(Streets of clouds, flock of sheep)
Stratocumulus
(Puffy bottoms, cloud accident)
Cumulus
(Cotton Ball)
Nimbostratus
Cumulonimbus
(low blanket with lots of rain)
(Thunderstorm clouds)
LET’S OBSERVE!
- What cloud
types are
present?
- What’s the
percentage of
cloud cover?
- How much
light
penetrates
the clouds?
http://asd-www.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/