Essential Questions

What is an air mass?

What is the difference between high
and low pressure?
What is a front and what are the three
types of fronts?
How can I read a weather map?

Air Masses
An AIR MASS is a large body of air
that has the same temperature and
humidity throughout.
Air masses can either be warm or cold.

Air Masses
There are two types of air masses:
1. Continental Polar air masses
These air masses
bring dry and cold
air.

2. Maritime Tropical air masses

These air masses
bring humid and
warm air.

High and Low Pressure Areas

High pressure
causes air to sink
Usually results in
several days of clear
sunny skies

Air rises in low

pressure areas and
forms water
droplets
Usually results in
rain and storms

Weather Maps:
Pressure & Temperature

Where are the areas of High and

Low

Pressure located?

Fronts

A FRONT is the border where two air masses

meet. Most weather changes occur along a
front.

Fronts extend both vertically and

horizontally in the atmosphere

Fronts: Three Types of Fronts

1. Cold Front: The zone where cold air is
replacing warmer air

In U.S., cold fronts usually move from

northwest to southeast
Air gets drier after a cold front moves
through

Fronts: Five Types of Fronts

2. Warm Front: The zone where warm air is
replacing colder air

In U.S., warm fronts usually move from

southwest to northeast
Air gets more humid after a warm front
moves through, often causing many hours
of precipitation

Fronts: Five Types of Fronts

3. Stationary Front: When either a cold or
warm front stops moving

When the front starts moving again it

returns to either being a cold or warm
front

Weather Maps: Doppler Radar

Maps

Find the Stationary Front

Find a High Pressure system

Find a Cold Front

Lets Review
Low pressure is usually associated
with what type of weather?
A. Sunny and fair
B. Cloudy with rain or snow
C. Clear and cold
D. Partly cloudy with a light breeze

Lets Review
Which of these is a common effect of a
warm front?
A. cold, clear weather
B. many hours of rain
C. strong, blowing winds
D. violent thunderstorms

Lets Review
What kind of air mass causes hot,
humid weather?
A. Warm Front
B. Continental Polar
C. Cold Front
D. Maritime Tropical

Lets Review
A weather map indicated that Chicago,
Illinois is in a high pressure system.
This means the weather in Chicago is
most likely
A. rainy
B. thunderstorms
C. sunny
D. cloudy

Lets Review
Which of these is liquid precipitation?
A. rain
B. dew
C. fog
D. climate

Lets Review
EXTENDED RESPONSE

Suppose its sunset on a warm, humid

day. After dark, the temperature is
predicted to drop.
PART A- How does air temperature relate
to the amount of water vapor in the air?
PART B- What will happen to the water
vapor in the air if the temperature
drops as predicted?

Lets Review