Why storms form along a cold front
1 min 16 s. The words are spoken and shown in the picture; the player can also show them as subtitles.
For the Earth and Space Sciences Regents. Topic: Air masses and fronts, with the past questions on it.
What Dr. Mars says (the words of the video)
Why do storms form along a cold front?
Cold air moves in from the west.
East of it is warm, moist air.
The boundary between them is a cold front.
Cold air is denser than warm air.
It pushes under the warm air.
Dr. Mars leans into the cold wind.
The warm air is forced up, over the cold air.
The steep front edge lifts it quickly.
Rising air cools, and water vapor condenses into clouds.
Storms and heavy rain often form along the front.
On a weather map, a cold front is a line with triangles.
The triangles point the way the front moves.
Check yourself! Which way is this cold front moving: A, B, or C?
Look at where the triangles point.
Answer: B! The triangles point east.
Dr. Mars leaned into the cold air as the front moved east.
Dr. Mars. Free practice for the New York Earth and Space Sciences Regents.