Flashcards week 6. midlatitudes cycles and weather maps

midlatitude cyclones

what is its rotation?

low pressure centers

counterclockwise = air is pulled towards the center of the low

where do midlatitude cyclones generally move from. why is that?

move from west to east bc of westerlies

what two sectors do midlatitude cyclones have? what separates both

typically has cool sector + warm sector which are separated by cold front + warm front

fronts

transition zones that develop to separate the two air masses of midlatitude cyclones

name two fronts. what they do and what are they the beginning of?

which of the two advances faster and why?

cold front = cold air advancing under warm. beginning of the cold air mass

warm front = warm air advancing over cold. beginning of the warm air mass

cold front usually advances faster than storm and catches up to warm front

four characteristics of the weather changes

temperature decreases sharply

wind direction shifts (converging counterclockwise)

bc the front is in a pressure trough the pressure falls as the front approaches and rises after it passes

clear skies ahead of the front are replaced by cloudiness and precipitin at the front and replaced again by clear skies after the front moves away

what four things contribute to determining the locations of fronts

what do they all do

wind direction = shows which way the fronts will move

temperature = shows warm air vs cold

dew point

air pressure

dew point. explain cold and warm air differences

cold dry air will have lower dew points

warm moist air will have higher dew points

air pressure. explain cold and warm air differences

pressure is falling in the warm air mass (as the cold trough approaches)

pressure is rising in the cold air mass (after the cold trough has passed through and is moving away)