When a fast moving cold air mass overtakes a slower warm air mass?

When a fast moving cold air mass overtakes a slower warm air mass?

When a warm air mass meets and overrides a cold air mass, a warm front forms. The warm air moves up and over the cold and generally brings drizzly precipitation. If a fast-moving cold air mass overtakes a slower-moving warm front and then continues advancing and catches another cold front, an occluded front forms.

What type of air mass is hot and dry?

Continental air masses are characterized by dry air near the surface while maritime air masses are moist. Polar air masses are characterized by cold air near the surface while tropical air masses are warm or hot. Arctic air masses are extremely cold.

What is an air mass and what determines its characteristics?

Air masses have fairly uniform temperature and moisture content in horizontal direction (but not uniform in vertical). Air masses are characterized by their temperature and humidity properties. The properties of air masses are determined by the the underlying surface properties where they originate.

What causes an air mass to sink?

The warm air rises as the cold air masses push to meet in the middle. When warm air rises, more clouds form, which brings precipitation. Temperature differences cause differences in density. Air masses will rise or sink according to the densities.

Why is maritime Arctic left out of the air mass classifications?

Why is Maritime Arctic left out of the air-mass classifications? They only rarely occur. Air mass source regions tend to be dominated by: slow moving anticyclones.

What’s the difference between stable and unstable air masses?

Weather is strongly affected by how stable or unstable the atmosphere is. Stable air means that the weather is likely to be calm. Unstable air means that the weather might change quickly with very little warning. …

What decreases the stability of an air mass?

Warming from below decreases the stability of an air mass. Unstable air forced upward will cause clouds with considerable vertical development and associated turbulence.

What does an unstable air mass mean?

Air is considered unstable, in the lowest layers of an air mass when the air is warmer and or more humid than the surrounding air. When this occurs the air will rise, as that air parcel is warmer than the air surrounding it. In an unstable environment, the weather can change suddenly and can be violent.