occluded front A front in which a cold front overtakes a warm front.
squall line A line of thunderstorms that forms at the edge of a cold front.
stationary front A stalled front in which the air does not move.
temperature gradient A change in temperature over distance.
warm front A front in which a warm air mass is replacing a cold air mass.
Points to Consider
- How do the various types of fronts lead to different types of weather?
- Why are some regions prone to certain types of weather fronts and other regions prone
to other types of weather fronts? - Why does the weather sometimes change so rapidly and sometimes remain very similar
for many days?
16.3 Storms.
Lesson Objectives
- Describe how atmospheric circulation patterns cause storms to form and travel.
- Understand the weather patterns that lead to tornadoes, and identify the different
types of cyclones. - Know what causes a hurricane to form, what causes it to disappear, and what sorts of
damage it can do. - Know the damage that heat waves and droughts can cause.
Introduction
Weather happens every day, but only some days have storms. Storms vary immensely de-
pending on whether they’re warm or cold, coming off the ocean or off a continent, occurring
in summer or winter, and many other factors. The effects of storms also vary depending on
whether they strike a populated area or a natural landscape. Hurricane Katrina is a good
example, since the flooding after the storm severely damaged New Orleans, while a similar
storm in an unpopulated area would have done little damage.