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A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface trough of low pressure.It often forms behind an extratropical cyclone (to the west in the Northern Hemisphere, to the east in the Southern), at the leading edge of its cold air advection pattern—known as the cyclone's dry "conveyor belt" flow.
Rope cloud (informal term) – A narrow, long, elongated line of cumulus clouds that sometimes develop at the leading edge of an advancing cold front that is often visible in satellite imagery. [22] Scud cloud (informal term for WMO species fractus) – ragged detached portions of cloud that usually form in precipitation.
A squall line is an elongated line of severe thunderstorms that can form along and/or ahead of a cold front. [11] [12] In the early 20th century, the term was used as a synonym for cold front. [13] The squall line contains heavy precipitation, hail, frequent lightning, strong straight-line winds, and possibly tornadoes and waterspouts. [14]
Warm fronts associated with extratropical cyclones tend to generate mostly cirriform and stratiform clouds over a wide area unless the approaching warm airmass is unstable, in which case cumulus congestus or cumulonimbus clouds are usually embedded in the main precipitating cloud layer. [19] Cold fronts are usually faster moving and generate a ...
Warm fronts are followed by extended periods of light rain and drizzle due to the fact that, after the warm air rises above the cooler air (which remains on the ground), it gradually cools due to the air's expansion while being lifted, which forms clouds and leads to precipitation. Cold fronts occur when an advancing mass of cooler air ...
Cloud physics is the study of the physical processes that lead to the formation, growth and precipitation of atmospheric clouds. These aerosols are found in the troposphere , stratosphere , and mesosphere , which collectively make up the greatest part of the homosphere .
Diagram of a cyclone in the early stages of occlusion in the Northern Hemisphere. In meteorology, an occluded front is a type of weather front formed during cyclogenesis.The classical and usual view of an occluded front is that it starts when a cold front overtakes a warm front near a cyclone, such that the warm air is separated (occluded) from the cyclone center at the surface.
An arcus cloud is a low, horizontal cloud formation, usually appearing as an accessory cloud to a cumulonimbus. Roll clouds and shelf clouds are the two main types of arcus clouds. They most frequently form along the leading edge or gust fronts of thunderstorms ; some of the most dramatic arcus formations mark the gust fronts of derecho ...