Climate Affects Weather Around The World.

A frontal system is the change of different types of weather systems. Learning how they work is a fascinating subject. Do you know how a weather front works?

As we know, the sun heats the Earth’s atmosphere. However, this happens in an irregular way for a variety of reasons. The atmosphere seeks equilibrium so large masses of air are constantly in motion, thus setting off different climate changes.

For example, if a cold mass of air moves into an area already occupied by a warm air mass, we say a cold front is moving in. However, when a warm front moves in, it rides over the colder air mass. As the warm air rises, it cools and condenses, forming water vapor. On the ground, we see high cirrus clouds form, followed by mid-level clouds then stratus clouds that may produce wind and rain (or snow).

Cold fronts often produce a volatile weather forecast because they force the warm air mass up sharply, making the climate unstable. This situation forms cumulus clouds and triggers storms along the edge of the front. A low pressure area also forms, strengthening existing winds. That’s why we often see strong winds and heavy rains when a cold front passes through.

It sometimes happens that a slow-moving warm front is overtaken by a faster-moving cold front. If so, the warm air front is upward and the two fronts move together and called an occluded front. These fronts typically have stratus clouds and light rain or snow.

On other occasions two fairly weak air masses meet and are too weak to replace each other. This stationary front usually signals a cloudy period and long periods of rain or snow that may take days to pass by.

Land masses and large bodies of water affect how front systems act. For example, sea water stores heat and thus is heated and cooled more slowly than land. Therefore, the ocean carries warm and cold water all over the globe and surface temperatures and climate are affected by undersea currents.

It is amazing how climate in one part of the world is affected by climate in another region half a globe away. The warm Gulf Stream makes Great Britain’s climate much more temperate than similar parts of the world. Also, when the warm Gulf Stream meets cold air from a polar region, the result is a winter storm on the U.S. eastern seaboard.

When a frontal system moves through, the weather can change dramatically. In summer, when a front passes and brings thunderstorms, the effect can be blessed relief from the heat. Or, it can mean storms of terrifying intensity. It is well worth your while to learn more about weather fronts and how they can affect your life.

Kurt Schefken often writes summaries on subjects similar to climate alicante and alicante spain weather. His publications on weather forecast for alicante can be found on his website .

categories: weather systems, weather fronts