Know About Weather Maps

An overview of weather maps

Breiefly describe the four kinds of fronts? 6th grade level plz? of weather maps

Cold front

Cold fronts occur when a colder air mass approaches a warmer air mass. The colder air, being more dense, cuts a wedge under the less dense warmer air, lifting it and finally overtaking it. Cold fronts move rapidly. Strong cold fronts can set off atmospheric disturbances such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, high winds and short duration snowstorms ahead of the moving cold front and cooler, dryer weather as the front passes. Depending on the time of year, cold fronts can come in succession every 5 to 7 days. On weather maps, cold fronts are marked with the symbol of a blue line of triangles pointing in the direction of travel.

Warm front

Warm fronts occur when a warmer air mass approaches a colder air mass . The warmer air lifts up and over the colder air. Warm fronts tend to be gentler than cold fronts. Because of this, warm fronts move slowly, gently settling over the cold front and moving it out of the way. Warm fronts bring more steady, lighter rain or snow in front of them, which can last from a few hours to several days, and warmer, dryer air as the warm front passes. On weather maps, warm fronts are marked with the symbol of a red line of half circles pointing in the direction of travel.

Stationary front- is a boundary between two different air masses, neither of which is strong enough to replace the other. A wide variety of weather can be found along a stationary front, but usually clouds and precipitation are found there. Stationary fronts will either dissipate after several days, or change into a cold or warm front. Stationary fronts are more numerous in the summer months. Stationary fronts are marked on weather maps with an alternating red/blue line of half circles and triangles, symbolizing the dual nature of the front.

Occluded Fronts- are formed where a slower moving warm front is followed by a more rapidly moving cold front. The wedged shaped cold front eventually overtakes the warm front and pushes it aloft. The two fronts continue to move in tandem, with the line between them being the occluded front. As with stationary fronts, a wide variety of weather can be found along an occluded front, but usually they are associated with stratus clouds and light precipitation. Occluded fronts are marked on weather maps with a black dotted line between closely placed cold and warm front markings.

Easy questions about weather?! Ten points!? of weather maps

The weather maps, such as those on television, show what's happening at the Earth's surface, and that's what we're talking about here.

As the name says, a "high" is an area where the air's pressure is higher than the pressure of the surrounding air. A "low' is where it's lower. Meteorologists don't have any particular number that divides high from low pressure; it's the relative differences that count.

The pressure is high at the surface where air is slowly descending - much too slowly to feel. And, this is going on over a large area, maybe a few hundred square miles. As air descends, it warms, which inhibits the formation of clouds. This is why high pressure is generally - but not quite always - associated with good weather.

The air that descends in high-pressure areas has to get to high altitudes in some way, and its done by rising in areas where the pressure at the surface is low.

As air rises it cools. As the air cools, the humidity in it begins to condense into tiny drops of water, or if it's cold enough, into tiny ice crystals. If there's enough water or ice, rain or snow begin to fall. This is why low pressure is associated with bad weather.

As shown in the graphic above, the air descending in high pressure flows out in a clockwise spiral in the Northern Hemisphere. Air flowing into an area of low pressure rises, making a counterclockwise spiral on the way in.