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Understanding Air Masses: Types, Movement, and Weather Impacts

An air mass is a large body of air with uniform characteristics based on its formation area. They are categorized by temperature (tropical or polar) and moisture (maritime or continental). Air masses move primarily from west to east in the U.S. due to jet streams and prevailing westerlies. When different air masses meet, they create fronts: warm fronts arise when warm air overtakes cold, cold fronts occur when cold air overtakes warm, and stationary fronts form when neither air mass advances. Understanding these concepts is essential for predicting weather patterns.

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Understanding Air Masses: Types, Movement, and Weather Impacts

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  1. What is an AIR MASS?

  2. An air mass is a huge body of air that has similar characteristics as the area they were formed.

  3. Air Masses are named based on where they FORMED… = TROPICAL = POLAR = MARITIME (means sea… wet) = CONTINENTAL (means land… dry) WARM COLD WET DRY

  4. Air Masses classified by… TEMPERATURE MOISTURE COLD WET HOT DRY

  5. How do these air masses move? That’s why weather generally moves WEST to EAST in the U.S. JET STREAM JET STREAM Prevailing Westerlies Prevailing Westerlies Prevailing Westerlies

  6. Air masses are steered by the jet stream.

  7. What happens when air masses meet? • Air masses don’t mixeasily. • The line between air masses is called a front.

  8. Warm Front • A warm air mass overtakes a slow-moving cold air mass.

  9. Cold Fronts and Warm Fronts

  10. Cold Front • A fast-moving cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass.

  11. Cold Fronts and Warm Fronts

  12. Occluded Front • A warm air mass is caught between 2 cooler air masses. Warm air mass is pushed up.

  13. Stationary Front • Cold and warm air meet, but neither can move the other. Creates “standoff”

  14. Cold Compare/Contrast Chart - Types of Fronts Warm Occluded Stationary

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