6.4.4: Air Masses, Fronts, Pressure Systems, & Storms

1. 6.4.4: Air Masses, Fronts, Pressure Systems, & Storms Air massesAre huge bodies of air, with similar temperatures & moisture. They are formed over water or land in tropical or polar regions. Air masses move. When they form, the temperature or humidity in them results in different weather conditions.

2. Frontsthe boundary between 2 air masses when they collide (Think of soldiers fighting in war. Where they meet up is the front of the group.) Depending upon the air masses involved 4 fronts can occur: • 4 kinds of fronts: • Cold front • Warm front • Occluded front • Stationary front

3. Cold Front: • Results in Violent Weather- Represented by the following symbol on a weather map: • Shown on a weather map • by a blue line with triangles • pointing the direction the cool • air is moving. • A cold air mass is replacing a warmer air mass.

4. Warm Front: Steady gentle rain showers- Represented by the following symbol on a weather map: Shown on a weather map by a red line with half circles pointing the direction the warm air is moving.

5. Comparing Cold Fronts with Warm Fronts • Cold fronts move faster than warm fronts. They move quick like a linebacker playing football. They sweep in low taking the legs out of a warm front & pushing it up quickly. • The weather activity in a cold front is often violent and happens directly at the front. • Cold fronts have sudden gusty winds high in the air creating turbulence. • The weather activity in a warm front generally happens before the front passes. • In a warm front the cloud formation is very low often creating situations of poor visibility. • See the video

6. Stationary Front: “stand off” • A front that stops moving or is moving very slowly. This can cause rain showers to last for days on end. • Shown on a weather map with alternating red semicircles pointing away from the warm air and blue triangles pointing away from the cold air.

7. Occluded Front: • When a warm front is trapped by 2 cold fronts. • It starts out with a gentle rain, turns into a violent storm, & ends with a gentle rain again. • Shown on a weather map by a purple line with alternating triangles and semicircles pointing the direction the front is moving.

9. Locate the 4 types of fronts on this weather map.

10. Be a Weather Forecaster • You are planning to travel to Alabama in 2 days. The high temperature there for today is 68º F. Use the map to help you predict whether the temperature in Alabama will increase, decrease, or stay the same. Explain why you think so.

11. There is a cold front approaching. The temperatures will probably be cooler behind the front.

12. Of course, meteorologists (weather forecasters) use much more data than fronts and air masses to help them forecast the weather more accurately. But any forecast is just a prediction of what might happen. Even with the best data, weather forecasts can be wrong.

13. High/Low Pressure Systems • Warm air rising or cold air sinking combined with the spinning of Earth causes the air to spin forming high and low pressure regions.

14. High pressure systems usually signal more fair weather with winds circulating around the system in a clockwise direction. (A clock is located high in the classroom.) Low pressure systems with counterclockwise circulating winds often result in rainy and/or stormy weather conditions. (A counter is located low in the kitchen.)

15. High Pressure Winds Low Pressure Winds

16. StormsSevere weather conditions - occur when pressure differences cause rapid air movement. Conditions that bring one kind of storm can also cause other kinds of storms in the same area. • Thunderstorm is storm with thunder, lightning, heavy rains and strong winds; form within large cumulonimbus clouds; usually form along a cold front but can form within an air mass

17. Tornado is a rapidly whirling, funnel-shaped clouds that reaches down from a storm cloud; the very low pressure and strong winds can cause great damage to people and property; are likely to form within the frontal regions where strong thunderstorms are also present

18. Hurricaneis a low pressure tropical storm that forms over warm ocean water; winds form a spinning circular pattern around the center, or eye, of the storm; the lower the air pressure at the center, the faster the winds blow toward the center of the storm. • Hurricane Tracking • More TrackingHurricane Simulation

19. Other Weather: fair weather, showers, blizzards, droughts, snow, ice storms, etc.

21. How Weather Systems Mo ve From Place to Place Streamline • Understanding the Weather Streamline 15 min • Heat, Wind, & Pressure Streamline 15 min • The Magic School Bus Goes on Air Streamline 27 min • The Magic School Bus Kicks Up a Storm Streamline 29 min • Raging Planet: Hurricane Streamline 24 min • Weather Smart: Hurricanes Streamline 15 min • Hurricanes, Tornados, & Thunderstorms Streamline 24 min

22. Natural Phenomena: Hurricanes, Tornadoes, & Other Weather Streamline 15 min • Links: • Weather Wiz Kids Awesome Site: • http://www.weatherwizkids.com/wind1.htm • Ware Shoals Weather: • http://www.weather.com/weather/local/29692?lswe=29692&lwsa=WeatherLocalUndeclared&from=whatwhere • FEMA for Kids: • http://www.fema.gov/kids/ • Weather for Kids: • http://www.eo.ucar.edu/webweather/ • KIDSSTORM: • http://skydiary.com/kids/

23. Weather Maker: • http://www.scholastic.com/kids/weather/ • National Weather Service: • http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/reachout/kidspage.shtml • Extreme Weather: • View a tornado: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/reachout/kidspage.shtml • Hurricane Simulation: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/hurricane/ap/ • Weather Songs: • http://www.wxdude.com/guide.html • KIDS WEATHER INFO: • http://www.kidinfo.com/Science/weather.html • Planet Pals: • http://www.planetpals.com/weather.html