Name: ______

Mapping Frontal Movement

When meteorologists speak of fronts, they are talking about places where two different air masses meet and interact.

Cold Fronts Cold air is heavy and therefore has high pressure. In a cold front, the cold air is pushing under warmer, lighter air. Figure 1 shows how a cold front is drawn on a weather map. Figure 2 shows a cross section of a typical cold front.

Fig. 2 Fig. 1

Warm Fronts Warm air is lighter and has low pressure. When a warm front moves into an area, the warm air slides over the colder, heavier air. Figure 3 shows how a warm front is shown on a weather map. Figure 4 shows a cross section of a typical warm front.

Fig. 4 Fig. 3

Name: ______

Cyclones On a weather map, you frequently find warm and cold fronts connected. This is called a cyclone and is shown in Figure 5.

A cyclone is nothing more than a system of warm and cold air. It spins counter-clockwise around its center, which is called a low.

Below you will find a map of the United States. It shows a cyclone moving across the United States. On Monday, it is in Utah and by Thursday it has moved to New York and Pennsylvania.

Fig. 5

Using this map and the information at the beginning of the lab, answer questions on the last page of this packet.

Thursday

Monday

Wednesday

Tuesday

1” = 400 Miles Questions Name: ______

1. The cyclone is in Utah on Monday. What state is it in on Tuesday?

2. How far has the cyclone moved? Use the scale at the bottom of the map.

3. In what direction did the cyclone move?

4. What two states is the cyclone over on Wednesday.

5. In which direction did the cyclone move?

6. What do you think keeps the frontal system moving across the United States? Think about what you have learned about global winds.

7. Find Ohio on the map. Do you think the air in Ohio would be warm or cool before the warm front gets there?

8. What temperature air follows a cold front?

9. What temperature air follows a warm front?

10. Where do you think the cyclone will be on Friday?

11. Where do you think the cyclone formed originally?

12. Make a simple sketch of a cyclone and label a. Cold Front b. Warm Front c. Cool Air d. Warm Air Comparing and Contrasting Fronts

Weather Conditions Warm Front Cold Front Stationary Front Occluded Front Temperature

Air Pressure

Clouds

Winds

Precipitation

Sketch