Air Masses and Fronts
Air Masses
Air masses, depending on their temperature, can bring weather systems into an area.
Air mass: a body of air with horizontally uniform temperature, humidity, and pressure
Cold air mass: instability, turbulence, good visibility, cumuliform cloud, showers, hail, thunderstorms
Hot air mass: stable, smooth air, poor visibility, stratiform clouds, drizzle
Cyclogenesis: the development or strengthening of an area of low pressure in the atmosphere, resulting in the formation of a cyclone.
Adiabatic cooling: is the process of reducing heat through a change in air pressure caused by volume expansion
Image Source: https://weatherstreet.com/weatherquestions/What_is_an_air_mass.htm
Fronts
Weather fronts can also impact flying conditions.
Warm front: the boundary of an advancing mass of warm air, in particular the leading edge of the warm sector of a low-pressure system.
Cold front: the boundary of an advancing mass of cold air, in particular the trailing edge of the warm sector of a low-pressure system.
Stationary front: a front between warm and cold air masses that is moving very slowly or not at all.
Occluded front: when a cold front overtakes a warm front. Not great for flying.
Inversion front: when a cold air mass undercuts a warm air mass and lifts it aloft
Image Source: https://www.ck12.org/studyguides/earth-science/fronts-weather-fronts-study-guide.html