Fronts and Mid-latitude

Cyclones
ENVI 1400 : Lecture 4
 Fronts
The boundary between two Fronts are a dominant feature of
different air masses is called a mid-latitudes. In particular fronts
front. associated with low pressure
It is a region of significant systems (mid-latitude cyclones,
horizontal gradients in extra-tropical cyclones,
temperature or humidity. depressions).
Typically 100 to 200 km wide – The movement of fronts is
very sharp transitions are responsible for much of the day-
uncommon. to-day variability in weather
conditions.
Northwest Europe receives many
different air mass types, with
frequent frontal passages –
results in very variable weather.

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 2

Warm Front
• Warm air flows up over denser warm air
cold air
cool air
• Inclination of frontal surface is very
shallow: 0.5 to 1
• Approach of front signalled by high
cirrus or cirrostratus, cloud base
lowering as surface front movement
approaches. of front
• Rain starts ahead of surface front,
is widespread and persistent
• Skies clear quickly after passage
of surface front
cirrus
cirro-stratus

~10 km
warm air alto-stratus
nimbo-stratus
cool air

~300 km ~500 km

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 3

Cold Front
• Dense cold air pushes forward into cold air
warmer air, which is forced upward
warm air
• Steeper than warm front: ~2
• Deep convective clouds form
above surface front, heavy rain in
narrow band along surface front
movement
• Behind front cloud base lifts,
of front
eventually clearing

• Near the surface the cold air

Cumulo- may surge forward, producing
~10 km

nimbus a very steep frontal zone

cold air
warm air

~70 km ~200 km

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 4

Stationary Fronts
cold air
• There is no fundamental difference
between the air masses either side
of warm and cold fronts – the front
is defined by the direction of
motion
• When the boundary between air warm air
masses does not move it is called
a stationary front
• Note that the wind speed is not
zero – the air individual masses
still move, but the boundary
between them does not

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 5

Occluded Fronts
• In general cold fronts move faster
than warm fronts, and may thus
catch up with a warm front ahead
– the result is an occluded front
• There are two types of occluded
fronts: warm and cold, depending
movement
on whether the air behind the cold
of front
front is warmer or cooler than the
air ahead of the warm front
• Cold occlusions are the more
common type in the UK
• Occlusion is part of the cycle of
frontal development and decay
within mid-latitude low pressure
systems

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 6

Warm Occlusion
• In both warm and cold occlusions,
the wedge of warm air is
associated with layered clouds,
and frequently with precipitation
• Precipitation can be heavy if warm
moist air is forced up rapidly by the
occlusion

warm air

cool air
cold air

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Cold Occlusion

warm air

cold air
cool air

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Mid-latitude Cyclones
31-08-2000
ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4
• Low pressure systems are a
characteristic feature of mid-
latitude temperate zones
• They form in well defined
zones associated with the
polar front – which provides a
strong temperature gradient –
and convergent flow resulting
from the global circulation
9
ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 10
31-08-2000 : 1310 UTC

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 11

 • Low pressure forms at surface
over polar front due to
divergence aloft

• As rotation around initial low

starts, a ‘wave’ develops on the
polar front
• Friction effects cause surface
flow around low to converge
• Mass balance: inward flow
compensated by large-scale
lifting  cooling  cloud
cloud formation

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 12

 • Surface low is maintained (or
deepens) due to divergence
aloft exceeding convergence at
surface
• Flow is super-geostrophic: cold
sector air pushes cold front
forward; warm sector air flows
up warm front – warm front
moves slower than cold

• Cold front overtakes warm front

to form an occlusion, which
works out from centre
• Depression usually achieves
maximum intensity 12-24 hours
after the start of occlusion

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 13

 • Low starts to weaken as
inflowing air ‘fills up’ the low
pressure

• Low continues to weaken,

clouds break up

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 14

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 15
 B

A B

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 B

A B

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 17

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 18
 Ana-Fronts
• Air is rising with respect to both
frontal surfaces
• Clouds are multi-layered and
deep, extending throughout the
troposphere

tropopause

warm

cold cold

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 Kata-Fronts
• Air aloft in the warm sector is • Precipitation is mostly light rain or
sinking relative to the fronts drizzle.
• Restricts formation of medium &
high-level clouds. Frontal cloud is
mainly thick stratocumulus, it’s
depth limited by the subsidence
inversion
tropopause

warm

subsidence inversion
Sc
Sc

cold cold

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 20

Ana-cold fronts may occur Some general guidance
with kata-warm fronts, and may be obtained from
vice-versa. charts of vertical velocity (eg
Forecasting the extent of from NCEP)
rain associated with fronts is For short-term forecasts
complicated (periods of hours) &
– Most fronts are not ana- or ‘nowcasts’, rainfall radar
kata- along whole length, or provide the best estimates
at all levels within the of rainfall.
troposphere

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 21

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 22
500mb surface height (dm)

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 D

upper wind

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 Crossed-Winds Rule
If an observer stands with their back to the surface wind
and estimates the direction of the upper-level winds from
motion of high-level clouds, they can a) estimate their
position within a low pressure system, and hence b)
make a rough forecast:
– If upper wind from your LEFT (position A), the weather is likely to
deteriorate
– If upper wind from you RIGHT (position B), the weather is likely
to improve
– If upper wind is BEHIND or AHEAD of you (positions C, D), there
is likely to be little change in the weather

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 Mid-latitude
Jet Stream

60°
Polar Front
Tropical
jet
30°

0°

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 Pacific Polar Front

Canadian
Arctic Front

Atlantic/Asiatic
Arctic Front

80

Atlantic 60
Polar Front Mediterranean
Front

30

Major Frontal Zones Northern Hemisphere Winter

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4 27

500 hPa height (m), and temperature anomaly (C)

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