Clouds & Fronts
WARM AIR MASSES: • Move into colder air
masses• Move slowly
AHEAD OF WARM
FRONTS:High Clouds
cirrus cirrostratus
Middle Clouds altostratus
AFTER A WARM FRONT:rain & possibly
thunderstorms
Warm Front
Red half-circles show direction front is moving. (rising suns=warm front
Cooler prior to front
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm/warm_front.html
Clouds Formed by Warm Fronts
Altocumulus Cirrocumulus Cirrus Altostratus Cirrostratus
Cumulonimbus Nimbostratus Stratus Stratocumulushttp://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/cld/cldtyp/hgh/crs.rxml
Cold Air Masses: Move into warmer air massesMove very fastCause a sudden drop in temperatureHigh windsPush warm air up causing:Cumulus or Cumulonimbus clouds & thunderstormsAfter a cold front passes:cool, dry stratus and stratocumulus clouds or clear skies
Cold Fronts
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/tstorm/cold_front.html
Blue arrows show direction of cold front. Blue “icicles”
Clouds Formed by Cold Fronts
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/cld/cldtyp/hgh/crs.rxml
Cumulus Nimbostratus
Stratocumulus Stratus
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/clouds/formation_fronts.html
Adapted from Information/Images
by: