What happens when warm and cold air masses converge?

What happens when warm and cold air masses converge?

When a warm air mass meets a cold air mass, the warm air rises since it is lighter. As it rises, the warm air cools rapidly. This configuration, called a cold front, gives rise to cumulonimbus clouds, often associated with heavy precipitation and storms.

What do we call the type of rainfall when a warm air mass meets a cold air mass?

Frontal rainfall
Frontal rainfall When warm and cold air meet, a depression forms: When a cold polar air mass meets a warm tropical air mass they do not mix – they form fronts.

What is it called when two cold air masses converge on a warm air mass?

The boundary where a cold air mass meets a cool air mass under a warm air mass is called an occluded front. At a front, the weather is usually unsettled and stormy, and precipitation is common.”

When a warm and cold air mass collide you typically get?

front
Frontal wedging: When a warm air mass and a cold air mass collide, you get a front. Remember how low-pressure warm air rises and cold high-pressure air moves into its place? The same reaction happens here, except the two forces slam into each other.

Why does rainfall occur from cool air?

Some droplets fall through the cloud and coalesce into raindrops on their way down. As more and more droplets join together they become too heavy and fall from the cloud as rain. Warm air can hold more moisture than cool air. When the warmer air is cooled and the moisture condenses, it often rains more heavily.

How are the 3 types of rainfall formed?

The causes of relief rainfall, frontal rainfall and conventional rainfall are examined. Relief rainfall occurs when air has been blown over the sea and is then forced up over an area of high land.

What are the three types of rainfall?

There are three different types of rainfall:

• relief.
• convectional.
• frontal.

What type of rainfall is associated with cold and warm fronts?

With a warm front, boundary between warm and cold air is more gradual than that of a cold front, which allows warm air to slowly rise and clouds to spread out into gloomy, overcast stratus clouds. Precipitation ahead of a warm front typically forms into a large shield of steady rain or snow.

Where does rain occur in a warm front where does rain occur in a warm front quizlet?

Where does rain occur in a warm front? Rain occurs along and in front of a warm front. You just studied 16 terms!

Why do cold air masses rise into the atmosphere?

Therefore, as these cold air masses move, the dense air undercuts the warmer air masses forcing the warm air up and over the colder air causing it to rise into the atmosphere. So, fronts just don’t appear at the surface of the earth, they have a vertical structure or slope to them as well.

How does the motion of air masses affect precipitation?

The motion of air masses also affects where a good portion of precipitation occurs. The air of cold air masses is more dense than warmer air masses. Therefore, as these cold air masses move, the dense air undercuts the warmer air masses forcing the warm air up and over the colder air causing it to rise into the atmosphere.

What causes convectional rainfall on the earth’s surface?

Orographic rainfall. Earth surface is intensely heated through solar radiation during the day time. When the air near the earth surface is heated, it rises and expands. This heating results is the formation of convectional air currents. Thus the ascending moist air cools, condenses and results in convectional rainfall.

What causes the formation of clouds and rain?

The mountain barriers lying across the direction of air flow, force the moisture laden air rise along the mountain slope. This results in the cooling of the air, which leads to the formation of clouds and rain. This rainfall is called Orographic rainfall.