Fronts and Mid-latitude Cyclones

ENVI 1400 : Lecture 4

Fronts
The boundary between two different air masses is called a front. It is a region of significant horizontal gradients in temperature or humidity. Typically 100 to 200 km wide very sharp transitions are uncommon. Fronts are a dominant feature of mid-latitudes. In particular fronts associated with low pressure systems (mid-latitude cyclones, extra-tropical cyclones, depressions). The movement of fronts is responsible for much of the dayto-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

Warm Front
Warm air flows up over denser cold 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 approaches. Rain starts ahead of surface front, is widespread and persistent Skies clear quickly after passage of surface front warm air
nimbo-stratus

warm air cool air

movement of front

cirrus
alto-stratus

cool air
~300 km ~500 km

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4

~10 km
3

cirro-stratus

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

movement of front

~10 km

Cumulonimbus

Near the surface the cold air may surge forward, producing a very steep frontal zone

cold air warm air

~70 km ~200 km
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ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4

Stationary Fronts
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 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

cold air

warm air

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4

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 on whether the air behind the cold 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

movement of front

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4

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

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4

Cold Occlusion

warm air

cold air cool air

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4

Mid-latitude Cyclones
31-08-2000

Low pressure systems are a characteristic feature of midlatitude 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

ENVI 1400 : Meteorology and Forecasting : lecture 4

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31-08-2000 : 1310 UTC

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 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

cloud

Mass balance: inward flow compensated by large-scale lifting cooling cloud formation
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 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

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

Low continues to weaken, clouds break up

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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, its depth limited by the subsidence inversion tropopause warm
subsidence inversion

Sc

Sc

cold

cold

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Ana-cold fronts may occur with kata-warm fronts, and vice-versa. Forecasting the extent of rain associated with fronts is complicated
Most fronts are not ana- or kata- along whole length, or at all levels within the troposphere

Some general guidance may be obtained from charts of vertical velocity (eg from NCEP) For short-term forecasts (periods of hours) & nowcasts, rainfall radar provide the best estimates of rainfall.

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500mb surface height (dm)

L
L

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B 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

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Pacific Polar Front

Canadian Arctic Front

Atlantic/Asiatic Arctic Front

80

Atlantic Polar Front

60 Mediterranean Front 30

Major Frontal Zones

Northern Hemisphere Winter

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

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