Fronts and Weather

Name: ______Period: _____ Date: ______Essential Question: How do air masses and fronts influence the weather?

1. What are the six different air masses in the United States? ______2. What are the three air masses from the North? ______3. What are the three air masses from near the equator? ______4. List the three cold air masses. Clue: Air masses from the polar region. ______5. List the three warm air masses. Clue: Air masses from the tropical region. ______6. List the two dry air masses. Clue: Air masses from land or continent. ______

7. What is the direction of the circulation of air in a low pressure area or cyclone in the northern hemisphere? ______8. Why does warm air rises? Think! ______

A tropical cyclone is a rapidly-rotating storm system. Tropical cyclones typically form over large bodies of relatively warm water. Tropical cyclone can be hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones. Tropical cyclones are named depending on where they form. Only tropical cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean or eastern Pacific Ocean are called "hurricanes."

9. What is a tropical cyclone? ______10. Where do tropical cyclones typically form? ______11. What are the three types of tropical cyclones? ______12. How are tropical cyclones named? ______13. What kind of tropical cyclone forms in the east Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean? ______14. What kind of tropical cyclone forms in west Pacific Ocean? ______

15. Draw the symbol for warm front.

16. Draw the symbol for cold front.

17. Draw the symbol for occluded front.

18. Draw the symbol for stationary front.

If cold air is pushing the warm air, then it is a “cold front”. Thunderstorms and even tornadoes occur.

19. What is a cold front? ______

20. What happens to the warm air as it is pushed by the cold air? ______21. What kind of weather does a cold front brings? ______

If warm air is pushing cold air, it is a “warm front”. When a warm front passes through an area the air will get warmer and more humid. Warm fronts signal significant changes in the weather. Snow, showers or light rain falls

22. What is a warm front? ______23. What kind of weather does a warm front brings? ______24. What is the direction of the frontal movement in a warm front? ( towards cold air mass or towards warm air mass) ______

When the power of the cold and warm air masses are the same. Neither can push each other! The cold and warm airs block each other. Therefore, Stationary front moves little and rain continues over a long period of time. The weather can be rainy, snowy, cloudy or foggy. A stationary front can remain stalled over an area for many days.

25. How does a stationary front results to flooding? Think! ( 10 points) ______R.E. Angat