HIGH AND LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS
WEATHER SYSTEMS UNIT
Regents Earth Science
By the end of this class, you will be able to:
*Compare and contrast high and low pressure
systems
*Identify areas of high and low pressure on a
weather map
DO NOW: What’s in a letter?
Take a moment to think about what each
letter stands for when used on a weather map
Compare/Contrast Chart
High and Low Pressure
High Pressure Low Pressure
Type of phenomenon Weather system
Determined by… Changes in air pressure
Moving inward on Pressure Increases Pressure Decreases
isobars…
Density of air Higher Lower
Representation on a H (blue) L (red)
map
Motion of air Clockwise, air sinks Counterclockwise,
air rises
Also known as… Anticyclone Cyclone
Motion of air causes a Divergence Convergence
zone of…
Stability of Stable Unstable
atmosphere
High Pressure
LOW PRESSURE
Low vs. High
FRONTS
Front: The leading edge of an air
mass-branch from low pressure
systems
Fronts are shown by
lines with symbols that
show the type of front
and the direction of
movement
FRONTS
Air masses are always in motion, bringing
with them, different types of weather
conditions.
The transition between two different types of
air masses is called a front.
There are four basic types of fronts, and the
weather associated with them varies:
(COWS)
Cold Front
Warm Front
Stationary Front
Occluded Front
FRONTS
To locate a front on a surface map,
look for the following:
• Sharp temperature changes over relatively
short distances,
• Changes in the moisture content of the air
(dew point),
• Shifts in wind direction,
• Low pressure troughs and pressure
changes, and
• Clouds and precipitation patterns.
FRONTS
COLD FRONT
A cold front is the leading edge of a colder air mass.
Some of the characteristics:
• slope of a typical cold front is 1:100 (vertical to horizontal).
• tend to move faster than all other types of fronts.
• tend to be associated with the most violent weather among all types of
fronts.
• tend to move the farthest while maintaining their intensity.
• tend to be associated with cirrus well ahead of the front, strong
thunderstorms along and ahead of the front, and a broad area of clouds
immediately behind the front (although fast moving fronts may be mostly
clear behind the front).
• can be associated with squall lines (a line of strong thunderstorms parallel to
and ahead of the front).
Cold fronts usually bring cooler weather, clearing skies, and a sharp
change in wind direction.
FRONTS
WARM FRONT
A front in which warm air replaces cooler air at the surface.
Some of the characteristics:
• slope of a typical warm front is 1:200 (more gentle than cold fronts).
• tend to move slowly.
• typically less violent than cold fronts.
• Although they can trigger thunderstorms, warm fronts are more
likely to be associated with large regions of gentle ascent (stratiform
clouds and light to moderate continuous rain).
• usually preceded by cirrus first (1000 km ahead), then altostratus or
altocumulus (500 km ahead), then stratus and possibly fog.
• Behind the warm front, skies are relatively clear (but change
gradually).
• associated with a frontal inversion (warm air overrunning cooler air).
FRONTS
STATIONARY FRONT
A front that does not move or barely moves.
Stationary fronts behave like warm fronts, but
are more quiescent.
Many times the winds on both sides of a
stationary front are parallel to the front.
Typically stationary fronts form when polar air
masses are modified significantly so as to lose
their character (e.g., cold fronts which stall).
FRONTS
OCCLUDED FRONT
Because cold fronts move faster than warm fronts, they
can catch up to and overtake their related warm front.
When they do, an occluded front is formed.
Occluded fronts are indicative of mature storm systems
(i.e., those about to dissipate).
There are both cold and warm occlusions. In a cold
occlusion, the colder air is found behind the front.
Conversely, a warm occlusion is characterized by warmer
air located behind the front. Winds are either from the
east or south before the front passes. After the front,
winds shift from the west or northwest.
Fronts
Warm front: an area
where a warm air mass
is replacing a cooler air
mass
What to Expect
Before the front:
A. cool or cold temps
B. falling barometer
C. increasing & thickening clouds
D. light-to-moderate precip
E. winds from the e-se,
F. Temp and dp get closer
together/higher humidity
After the front:
A. Warmer and more humid
weather conditions
B. clearing clouds
C. a brief rise in pressure
D. winds from the s-sw
E. Temp and dp are close/high
humidity
NOTE: “A high dewpoint” means
that the temperature and dewpoint
are close together. (ex. 32F temp, 30
F dewpoint)
“A low dewpoint” means that the
temperature and dewpoint are far
apart (ex. 55F temp, 30F dewpoint)
There is ALWAYS a dewpoint!
Cold Front
Cold front: an area where
a cold air mass is
replacing a warmer air
mass
What to Expect
Before the Front:
A. winds from the s-sw
B. warm temps
C. a falling barometer (dropping
pressure)
D. an increase in clouds
E. a short period of precip
F. Temp/dp are close; high humidity
After the Front:
A. winds from the w-nw
B. a drop in temps
C. a rise in pressure
D. showers followed by
clearing skies
E. Temp and DP get farther
apart/ lower humidity
Stationary Front
Stationary Fronts: a
boundary between air masses
that are not moving
What to expect: a
noticeable change in wind
direction or temperature
when crossing from one
side of the front to the
other
Occluded Fronts
Occluded Front: occur
when warm air is pushed
above Earth’s surface by
cooler air that is closing in
from both sides
A developing cyclone usually has a
warm front and a faster moving cold
front that wraps around the storm.
An occluded front forms when cold air
behind the cold front catches up to the
warm front, which is stuck behind the
cool air already in place
What to expect: A change in temp.,
dewpoint or wind direction is possible
Occluded Front Development
Phase 1: Phase 2
