What are cold, warm, and stationary fronts?

The type of front depends on both the direction in which the air mass is moving and the characteristics of the air mass. There are four types of fronts that will be described below: cold front, warm front, stationary front, and occluded front. read more

As a result, warm air invades cold one on the east side, and cold air invades warm one on the west side. Warm air moving over cold one creates a warm front. The rising is slow and over a long distance. It causes precipitation and bad visibility. On the other side, the cold air presses up the warm one. read more

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). read more

Cold fronts are very much like atmospheric plows, pushing away warm, moist air and replacing it with a cooler and drier air mass. Another good metaphor for a cold front is that it’s like a hand plane. read more